Girl Next Door
by SunflowerDope
Summary: Richonne AU. No zombies,cannibals or apocalypse.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

 _'You know I wouldn't ever dip out'_

It was August; the closing of summer was just around the corner as the Georgia heat still stood strong. A gentle breeze began to flow in; a subtle nod that fall would be here shortly. The backyard was full of family and friends as the smell of charcoal filled the air, music and laughter accompanying it. Rick gently twirled around the contents in his cup, nervousness setting in as he rubbed his hand against his jaw line, the stubble of his beard felt course against his fingertips. It had been about three years since he had last seen her and about ten since she had left for school, her absence caused an indescribable void in his life, something he could never truly fill. Whether he wanted to admit it or not he was excited, he had been counting down this day since March...the day she finally was coming home.

Rick stood by the grill chatting with Uncle Ray and Cousin Charles, the men he had looked to as family over the years, along with the rest of her family had accepted him openly and without question many years ago. That acceptance and love from them was something that stayed with him all throughout his adult years.

Rick excused himself from the conversation, heading over to the refreshment table to refill his drink. After filling the cup, he wandered aimlessly towards the large spread of cookout foods; ribs, hot dogs, burgers, baked beans, macaroni & cheese, potato salad and more. His eyes scanned over the dishes before he settled on an overstuffed deviled egg, popping the entire thing into his mouth, he licked the remnants off of his fingertips as he discretely bopped his head to the music coming from the speakers positioned behind the tables.

"Rick?" a melodious voice filled his ears from behind, the familiarity of it caused him to twist his head around in a quick motion, his eyes meeting hers. A smile spreading across his face as he slowly chewed and swallowed the remaining pieces of egg. He turned his body towards her, placing his hands on his hips as his eyes traveled the length of her, he took in her ebony skin that was on full display in an orange halter top maxi dress that hugged her curves sinfully, a side split showed off her toned legs as she wore her locs crimped in a high ponytail that cascaded down her shoulders, framing her face gorgeously as gold hoop earrings, bangles, rings and flat sandals adorned her skin and feet, completing the look. She was truly a sight to behold and after all of these years, Rick couldn't help but relish in it.

"God Michonne...You look fantastic" he breathed out in his southern drawl as he continued to study her

The sound of his deep raspy vibrato caused a chill to run down her spine "You don't look to bad yourself Reece...just a little thicker in the waist..." she poked at his side, a giggle escaped her as she watched him flinch away bashfully "but it looks good on you" she assured through a bright smile.

"How have you been?" He asked softly as he stepped closer to her, filling the small distance between them

"I've been good...things have been good. I'm just so happy to finally be back home and done with school... It's been a long time… too long" she chuckled out, "How about you...How have you been?"

"Good...thangs have been good. No complaints but today ain't about me...it's all about you Miss. Harvard graduate! I'm so happy to hear you've been doing well... I am so proud of you Michonne. This was your dream for so long and you made it happen" he smiled out as he showered her with admiration

"Oh stop it Reece" she blushed out as she nudged him playfully in the chest. "It's not happening just yet...It won't until I'm employed and can save up enough to open up my firm" she said in a more serious tone as she dropped her gaze

"Hey…Hey… it will happen and that's all that matters" he countered encouragingly as her gaze met his

A pleasant silence fell among them, an occurrence that happened time and time again since they were younger. This silence was so much more than the absence of words, it was a reflection of how deep their connection was; it was the act of sharing a space and significance in solitude, without the constant dread or worry of saying the wrong thing. They simply vibed, something that had been evident since meeting on that park bench almost 16 years ago.

"CHONNE-MICHONNE! Mommy's looking for you" a voice yelled from the house, abruptly interrupting that silence. Michonne winced as her eyes traveled towards the back door that her little brother Noah hung out of as he impatiently gestured for her to come in to see what their mother wanted. Michonne frowned slightly at the teenager's rudeness before acknowledging the statement, "Okay" she said through clenched teeth, he quickly retreated knowing that look all too well. She turned her attention back towards Rick a gentle smile forming as their eyes met again.

"I'm going to go see what she wants...I'm sure she's in her feelings because you're the first person I came to see" she chuckled out, "I'll be back over in a few okay? Don't leave...promise?" she asked as she held her pinky out

Rick smiled at the cute gesture, his mind traveling back to the many times that same cuteness had him agreeing to her sometime lavish ideas, it usually ended up being something to get them or him in trouble.

"Yeahhh I promise" he drew out with a smile as he took her pinky into his

"Okay...it's really good seeing you Rick" she gushed out before dropping her hand to her waist, flashing him with another gentle smile as she headed towards the house. Rick's eyes followed her until she disappeared into the home; butterflies filled him as a content smile crept across his lips. He turned back towards the food table, piling a few deviled eggs on to a plate and heading to find Uncle Ray and Cousin Charlie's so they could finish their conversation from earlier.

A few hours had passed as the sun began to set; guest began to disperse into the home as the grills and music began to die down. Rick sat perched on the Robinson's front stoop, his back resting against the top step as he rubbed his hands together anxiously. He glanced down at his watch, 6:30 he said to himself as he scanned the yard for her. As much as he wanted to stay and catch up it was getting late and he had to get Carl home at a decent hour, the two-hour drive to and from Lori's parents' house was a massive inconvenience but it was one worth it, if he could spend as much time as possible with his son. So with that he looked across the yard once more before he began to stand up

"Taking off so soon? I thought you made me a promise that you would stay?" Michonne cheeked out as she playfully pouted from behind the screen door

"Hey now...I gave you my pinky promise. You know I'm a man of my word but after the first hour or so I did think you dipped out on me" he bantered back cheekily as he looked across his shoulder to her

Michonne chuckled as she opened the door and walked out of it, the screen door clanking loudly as it closed. She made her way to the stoop, piling the bottom of her dress into her hands as she sat down on the top step, her bright brown eyes took him in as a bashful smile crossed her lips before a relaxed sigh escaped her. Rick watched her before he took a seat next to her, his eyes meeting hers

"I really wasn't trying to leave. I gotta pick Carl up from The Rouses tonight and the two-hour drive coming and going is hell" he drew out

"Oh I'm sorry. If I knew I wouldn't have kidnapped, you for so long" she smiled playfully. He nudged her playfully as he shook his head, a gentle smile on his face.

"How old is he now?" she questioned as she studied the length of him

"Five...he'll be six in October" he gushed

"A Handful?" she questioned knowingly

"You know it. He gets into everything...that boy is too damn smart for his own good. He questions everything under the sun...at his age I was not that inquisitive...I was still learning my damn abc's" he chuckled out, "he's a rascal but he's a good kid" he beamed as pride filled his tone

"Like his daddy" she teased before continuing, "hopefully I can meet him soon" she responded softly

"I'd like that...I'm sure Carl would too" he nodded fighting back a smile

Michonne nodded with a smile as she took him in, seeing him filled with so much love and pride as he talked about his son moved her deeply. She never thought in a million years that the short tempered, cursing, brawling, bow legged, curly haired boy with the southern twang she knew growing up would be someone's father one day. That he would grow into the mature, handsome, sweet, good man that sat in front her today. A bittersweet feeling came across her, yes on one hand she was so damn happy to see her best friend again but on the other so many years had passed, so many events were missed that they both needed one another for, a small part of her was afraid that they could not get those years back, that too much time had passed. Michonne took a deep breath as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs. Her thoughts causing a little insecurity to set in,

"You know I wouldn't ever dip out on you...right?"

"I know...and you know I would never break a promise to you" he assured with a smile

"I know...plus you wouldn't want to get one of these" she playfully shook a balled up fist at him.

They both erupted into laughter as he took her fist into his hand and brought it down across his lap. She stretched out her fingers, resting them from their balled form; Rick gently patted her palm before interlocking her fingers into his own, as he looked towards her with a content smile. Michonne's eyes traveled from their interlocked fingers to meet his gaze, seeing the same love in his eyes that she saw so many years ago was a feeling of bliss. She soon felt bashful under his gaze; she turned away from him as warmth filled her cheeks.

"So you staying here or you found a place?" he questioned as he tightened the hand hold

"This is home...so I'll probably stay here for a little while...it'll be just like old times" she chuckled

"Yeah...except we won't have to sneak out now" he sniped

"Tell my dad that" she joked

Rick chuckled softly as he down casted his eyes. Michonne winced as she tightened their hand hold to get his attention; he brought his eyes back up to her and was met with a gentle smile as she rubbed her thumb along the curve of his hand. He cleared his throat, in an attempt to fight back the sudden emotion, he felt, "I'm proud of you Michonne. I always admired you and knew you would get outta here and do something...be someone. You have been my inspiration for so long" he gushed out

"Awww Reece...you know you have always been my biggest supporter. Thank you for that and everything" she countered as she bit her lip happily.

Rick nodded happily as he looked towards the street and then down towards his watch, 6:50pm. He sighed knowing he had to leave her soon. He ran his free hand along his face before looking back towards her.

"I better get a move on before it gets too late...catch up soon?"

"Of course...you know where to find me" she beamed as they both began to stand up and walk down the steps hand in hand. Once they reached the pavement, Rick pulled her into a tight embrace as he soothingly rubbed her back and she snugly wrapped both arms around his waist

"Call me to let me know you made it in alright" she replied in a stern yet lighthearted tone

"I was planning to do that anyway" he responded playfully as they stayed in their embrace for a little longer before he stepped back, gazing at her one more time before he trudged over to the white picket fence that surrounded the house. He popped the lock and closed it behind him as he walked next door to his own home, fishing the keys to his pickup truck out of the back pocket of his black jeans. He unlocked the door and hopped into it before cranking up the truck and closing the door behind him. He rolled down the window and looked towards Michonne, she waved at him happily as he waved back, their eyes meeting one another's once more before he backed out of the driveway and headed south towards I-85, he looked at his side view mirror, catching sight of her. He didn't take his eyes off of her until she was no longer in sight, a bright smile crossed his face as he thought about her, hopefulness filled him at the thought of being able to make up for all of the years lost.

-SD


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

 _'_ _you want a medal or sumthin?_ _'_

It was summer of '98, the sun blistering as it sat in the cloudless skies; beating down on the pavement like a drum. The humidity so thick that not even a bowie knife could cut through it. The neighborhood remained lively despite the heat, the streets littered with children running, jumping, playing and more. Fits of giggles, roughhousing and thumps from jump ropes hitting the asphalt played well into the night. Even the local animals enjoyed the weather; cats shied away from the heat finding refuge under trees or inside the air conditioned homes, dogs jumped and rolled around in the cool water from the opened fire hydrants or lakes, even the snakes enjoyed a sunbathe on exposed logs. Summer was a time of enjoyment, freedom, no school or rules. The dog days were upon them and it made it a damn good time to be alive.

"It's hot as Satan's asshole out 'ere" a crass 14-year-old Shane blurted out loudly as he stepped off of the front door's threshold. He walked along the pave way before stopping and placing his hands on his hips as he looked towards the neighboring house

"Yeah" Rick drew out as he wiped away the sweat already forming from his brow before closing the front door and trudging down the small grassy hill to meet Shane at the bottom of the steps before they headed towards Lufkin Park.

"Looks like you got some new neighbors…" Shane pointed out before continuing "hope they got a fine ass daughter or two" he chuckled out cheekily as he nudged the other 14-year-old. Rick nudged him back with a slight chuckle before looking towards the two large moving trucks with boxes filled to its brim, even more boxes littered the front yard as several movers entered and exited the house quickly. Rick looked to Shane who started banging on about neighboring girls, he winced as he tore his gaze away from Shane and his rants; the feeling of someone watching came over him. His eyes roamed the yard until he noticed the brightest, most beautiful brown eyes staring back at him from the second story window. His breathing hitched as he continued to lock eyes with the mystery person, he couldn't make out their features but those orbs of burnt Amber would forever be etched into his mind.

"RICK!"

He quickly diverted his attention to Shane as he looked suspiciously at him. "What in the hell you looking at, man?" He questioned as he looked over to where Rick's gaze previously was

"Ain't nothing…just that I saw sumthin'" he responded coyly as he squinted his eyes and looked towards his best friend. Shane cut his eyes at Rick before quickly changing subjects.

"Wanna' go swimming or play ball?" he questioned

"Don't matter to me" Rick responded dryly as his gaze drifted back towards the window that was now empty, he sighed as he turned back towards Shane.

"Aight…ball is it. Prepared to get your ass handed to you brother" he shouted excitedly as he wrapped his arm around Rick's neck and roughly tossed his curls with his fist

"Motherfucker" Rick chuckled out as he pushed Shane off of him; he ran his hands through his hair to put it back in place before attempting to kick a running Shane in the ass, his best friend laughed loudly as Rick chased behind him down the street.

"Good game man…" Shane gushed as he sat on the grassy mound in front of the wooden bench his best friend settled on; he savagely chopped down on the cherry shaved ice they got from candy store after their game, he licked his arm clean of the sweet, sticky, substance that cascaded down it.

"Want some?" he questioned as he pointed the cup towards Rick.

"Naw…I'm good" he responded melancholy as he picked at the cup of butter pecan ice cream he got for himself. Shane nodded lightly as he retreated his arm, his eyes lingering on his best friend. He knew that the past few months had been pretty hard on Rick, it was like one blow after another and it was coming down on him hard. He saw his best friend retreating into a shell of himself, he barely talked, rarely ate or even smiled, he was down in the dirt. It hurt him to see Rick this tore up but the thing that hurt him the most was that it was nothing that he could do about it. Shane sighed heavily as he looked towards the sky, his eyes roaming the endless sea of blue. A sudden realization snapped his attention back to the present

"Rick…What time is it?" he asked, his voice suddenly filled with dread

"Quarter past '5…" Rick almost jumped out of his skin at how quickly Shane jumped up; sending his shaved ice straight to the ground. Rick not sure what was going on, jumped up from off the bench as well, he wasn't sure if Shane spotted a cottonmouth or bear but he wasn't too keen on sitting around waiting for whatever it was to pounce," What's wrong?" he questioned as his eyes darted around the park, looking for impeding danger.

"Damn it! I forgot to take the chicken out for Mama…she's going to whoop the dirt off me if 'ion get it out before she gets home. I-I gotta go…I'll try to be back for too late, if 'ion show…just know I love you man" Shane huffed out as he began running in the direction of home; fear of the impeding ass whooping awaiting was far more superior than his best friend's response

"Yeah alright" Rick yelled after him before sighing deeply and plopping back down onto the wooden bench; the feeling of being alone crept over him like the shadow of death, gnawing and clawing at him along the way. He pulled his tee shirt over his face as refuge, trying to hide the impending tears that were forming. Words couldn't explain the way he felt, how entirely lost without her he was. They always speak about a mother's love being so endless but it didn't feel that way for him it was as if hers died that spring morning along with her.

"Hey kid!"

An unfamiliar voice called out to him, he pulled the collar of his shirt from over his head, only revealing his piercing blue eyes. He looked to see a young girl around the same age has him standing in front of him with her hands on her hips wearing a white tank top with denim shorts and white chuck taylor's. He took in her radiant deep chocolate skin that ran for miles…. he had no clue where it ended or began, her lips full and pillowy as a small smirk tugged at the corners of them, a handful of loc's sat in a ponytail at the top of her head while the remainder ever so softly grazed her shoulder blade as slender as she was her curvaceous hips told another story…a story of newly embarking on the journey of womanhood, as beautiful as she was. It was her eyes that held familiarity in them, it felt as if he had been looking into those eyes all of his life as if he had fallen asleep a thousand times in them. He tilted his head to the side, remembering the deep gaze he held with the brown beauty's hours prior, how helpless he felt under them but he couldn't look away. He couldn't help himself from getting lost in them.

"Your ice cream's melting" she pointed out as she raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously

Hearing her honey covered voice broke his gaze, he immediately looked down to the half softened treat beginning to drip off the side of the cup and onto the bench. He quickly wiped his eyes before pulling down his shirt to reveal his full face to the mystery girl.

"Shit!" He bit out annoyed as he scrambled to find napkins to clean up the mess. He stood up as he cleaned off the bench before heading towards the trash can. He walked back towards the girl, her eyes locked on him the whole time.

"Thanks… I ain't even notice it" he responded as he looked towards her with squinted eyes

She lightly nodded as she studied him, "So what's your name kid?"

"Ritchie but everybody calls me Rick" he responded, his eyes locked on her

"Nice! I'm Michonne"

His cheeks suddenly felt red at the sound of her name, Michonne he said to himself, enjoying the way it felt on his tongue.

"You new around here?"

"Duh…you didn't see all of those moving trucks in front of that house back there"

"Look I'm just asking a question…no need to be a smart ass" he winced, his temper starting to build

"What the hell are you going to do if I don't?" she counted as she rolled her neck slightly

"My daddy's the sheriff in this town and-"

"So-you want a medal or sumthin?" she snapped as she placed her hands on her hips defiantly

"I ain't got time for this shit" he huffed out, his annoyance with her attitude finally boiling over. He began to walk away before the situation escalated even further.

"Your mama ain't ever tell you to be nice to strangers… that you never know when your entertaining an angel" Michonne winced out as she rolled her eyes at his abrupt departure.

Rick stopped mid step, he titled his head slightly as he turned back around to face her. "Well sorry for my rudeness but my mama's dead…guess she didn't have much time to teach me that one "he said coldly, biting his lip to stop himself from saying something he may regret later on, "Welcome to the neighborhood…Michonne" he winced out almost mockingly before stuffing his hands into the pocket of his shorts and heading home.

Michonne bit the inside of her cheek as she watched him walk away. Most of the time she thought before she spoke but something about Rick caused her to forget all of the manners her mother taught her. Yes, he was kind of a dickhead but she saw something more than that…more to him and she thought maybe it was something worth exploring even though hurting his feelings wasn't a part of the plan. If this was a warning sign of how making friends in King's County would go moving forward she was sure her life in this shitty little town would be just that.

"Fuck" she huffed as she began to walk out of the park heading towards home.

-SD


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

" _I didn't mean too…"_

 **-1998-**

She studied the way the lace lavender curtains that adorned her bedroom window moved gently from the summer breeze; somewhat admiring their freedom. Michonne huffed in annoyance, adjusting her gaze to her bedroom ceiling; bitterness strong on her tongue as the events of the other day still weighed heavily on her mind. She was not only disappointed in her actions but the pain written in his eyes, haunted her like a lover scorn.

The sound of a closing door brought her out of her daze; she sat up, moving the curtain slightly as she peaked out of the window, her eyes roaming the area for the source of the noise until her eyes landed on him. She watched as he clumsily fumbled through the back pocket of his jeans for his keys, cussing in annoyance as he instantly dropped them on the ground once found. Michonne chuckled to herself as she changed her seating to the window pane, her eyes still locked on him; he was truly absolutely adorable.

After locking the door, he headed down the street, she watched him until he was no longer in her line of vision, unsure of where he was headed for certain…she did have an inkling of his destination. She lifted herself from off the window pane, sauntering towards her dresser mirror stopping in front of it as she looked herself over. She ran her fingers across the thin straps of her purple halter top adjusting it so it fit comfortably against her shoulder blades, she smoothed her hands over the denim skirt ridding out any creases before turning slightly and checking out her hips and backside; still getting accustomed to the very big changes puberty had on her body, her mother warned her of the impending changes but it seemed as soon as she turned 14, like clockwork everything seemed to grow at a rapid speed; overnight she swore to herself it was. Michonne released her locs from the black scrunchie that held them in a high pony tail seconds earlier, she slipped it onto her left wrist before combing through them with her fingers tips, once they laid how she wanted she walked over to the shoe rack that sat adjacent to her small walk-in closet, slipping on her white Chuck Taylor's she headed out of her bedroom, closing the door behind her as she headed down the stairs.

Michonne walked into the kitchen, she was met by her mother Shelia sitting at the table feeding her baby brother Noah

"Hey mama" she greeted as she walked towards the duo, placing a single kiss on each of their cheeks

"Hey baby" her mother responded with a smile as she wiped apple sauce from Noah's mouth with his bib

"Is it okay if I go outside for a bit? I saw some neighborhood kids heading down to the park. It's right down the block" she explained, the room falling silent as she nervously waited for her mother's response, even the normally babbling Noah was quiet as his eyes darted between his mother and sister

"Be back here before them street lights come on…I know you're new to the neighborhood and you want to make friends but do not make me come looking for you Michonne" she asserted as she looked back towards her teenage daughter, her face of a woman who was not playing games

"Yes mam…I will… I promise" she nodded as she backed out of the kitchen, heading towards the front door, a sly smirk on her face as she quickly exited her home and made a bee line down the street towards the candy shop.

The park was more crowded than it was day's prior, a lot of the neighboring children gathered to play kick ball, ride their bikes or skateboards; her eyes scanned the area until they landed on him, sitting on that same wooden bench from that day. Michonne sighed deeply as she thought about the total shit storm it was, it went totally left field before she could even stop it and she truly felt bad for the way things went. Today was her chance to make a better impression and she hoped to redeem herself because she was not having another replay of it.

She walked towards him slowly, her hands behind her back as she stopped a few feet away from him, biting at her lip nervously

"Hey" she breathed out softly

He huffed as he looked up to her, almost rolling his eyes as he acknowledged her, "Hi" he replied curtly as he stared at her

Michonne slightly winced at his reaction, his blue eyes fiercely piercing at her, leaving her a bit unnerved under his gaze. Apart of her wanted to abort the mission but she decided against it, she wanted to make things right, she had to.

She cleared her throat before continuing, "I didn't mean to be such a bitch yesterday. It wasn't nice and that's not m-okay I can be an ass sometimes but I really didn't mean to yesterday. I can be a little too honest and it just wasn't necessary when you were being so nice and I'm just really sorry. I was hoping we could start over maybe?…I have a peace offering if you're interested?" she offered, flashing him a smile so bright it almost knocked the wind out of him

"Yeah…and what might that be?" he drew out, his blue eyes slightly softening as he watched her

"Ice cream?" she raised her shoulders innocently before pulling a white paper bag from behind her as she smiled cheekily at him

Rick had to admit she looked pretty damn cute…so cute that he would be a fool to say no to that face so he nodded; accepting the peace offering. Michonne smiled warmly as she sat next to him, opening the bag and taking out its contents

"Soooo I saw that you had butter pecan yesterday…it's pretty good, it's not my favorite though but it works when needed…so I got you a cup. I hope that's okay?" she questioned slightly afraid of his rejection

"Yeah…yeah that's alright" he responded softly

"Okay" she replied sweetly as she handed him his cup of ice cream and a spoon, before placing the empty bag on the ground and opening up her creamy treat to enjoy it. He looked towards her with a small smile, he removed the lid of his cup, reaching over her to discard it in the bag. Her eyes widened slightly at the sudden contact, she quickly focused her attention back to hers. He ate a spoonful of ice cream, licking the spoon before going in for another bite. A pleasant silence fell upon them as they ate, stealing occasional glances of another as they enjoyed being in the other's company

"I didn't think you were being a bitch by the way…an asshole maybe but I don't think you could ever be such a thang" he drew out as he looked towards her with a smirk

Michonne turned her face away, not wanting him to see the slight redness in her cheeks that he had caused.

"Thanks" she finally responded as she looked back towards him

"No thank you…it was pretty sweet of you to do all this" he responded as he rid the empty cup and spoon into the bag

"I just wanted to make it up you" she scraped the bottom of her cup, eating the remainder of her ice cream before tossing it into that same bag

"Well just an apology would have sufficed"

"I'll remember that next time" she teased

"Next time? …who said it would be a next time?" he bantered back

"Oh I'm sure it will be" she chuckled out

Rick chuckled lightly as he shook his head, somewhat impressed at how easy it was for her to make him laugh and forget about everything that had been plaguing him. He reached over her again, grabbing the paper bag off the ground and stood up, heading towards the trash can to dump it. Michonne studied him up and down, enjoying the way his grey tee shirt clung desperately to his muscles…as small framed as he was he had a build of someone twice his age that worked out rigorously, she giggled at the fact even in jeans his cute little bow legs still were so prominent, she loved the way his dark chestnut curls framed his handsome face, the strong bridge of his nose almost reminiscing a Grecian GOD, his soft pink lips and hypnotizing ocean blue eyes were a thing of beauty, she had to tear her gawking eyes away from him as he made his way back towards the bench; she did not want to look thirsty.

He took a seat next to her, sitting down with a deep grunt, "So?" he questioned as his gaze drifted towards her

"So?" she replied softly as she matched his gaze

"You wanna tell me about yourself?"

"What would you like to know?" she responded softly

'Everything', Rick wanted to respond but he decided against it, settling on something less eager, "Anything you would like to tell me…we can start with your name" he responded his voice warm and inviting

Michonne smirked before standing up and walking away from the bench, leaving Rick with a confused expression on his face, it wasn't until she stopped a few feet away and turned back towards him with a warm smile on her face as she headed back towards him, his face softened once he realized she was just pulling his leg.

"Hi… My name is Michonne Naomi Robinson", she extended her hand

Rick bit his lip cheekily, slightly shaking his head, "I'm Ritchie Jacob Grimes…but you can just call me Rick" he drew out as he took her hand

"It's nice to meet you Rick"

"It's nice to meet you as well" he responded through the handshake, a warm tingle running through his fingers from the contact.

Michonne giggled lightly, taking back her hand as she sat back down on the bench, this time a little closer to him.

"So what else should I know about you?" his eyes glistening as he smiled

"Well I'm 14… My birthday was this past March. I'm a spring baby…" she grinned before continuing, "…I was born and raised in Atlanta up until my daddy decided to open up a firm here…I'm not sure why he decided to leave one of the highest ranking firms in GA for the sticks but my mama went with it…", she shrugged "I have a one-year-old brother named, Noah. He's literally the cutest thing ever. Umm…I enjoy art, fashion, cooking, I love fencing and martial arts too. I'm also really big on reading, I enjoy all types of books, especially comics…I'm pretty much into anything that interests me. I have a weird obsession with colorful ceramic cats and I have a pretty vulgar and obscene sense of humor" she smiled out

Rick nodded with a chuckle, ensuring he remembered that tad bit of information for later

"Alright…you're a talker. I like that because I pretty much suck at it", he chuckled lightly as he kicked at a rock in the gravel, "but I'm 14 too…I'll be 15 in August. Born and raised in the country… on a farm actually…" he chuckled

"Are you serious?" she asked excitedly, her interest piqued

"dead…chickens, cows, horses, ducks, pigs, donkeys…the whole nine yards. I lived there up until after my mom passed…my dad sold the farm, house, pretty much everything and we moved into my grandmom's old house"

"Oh…Is she?"

"Nah she lives in a condo down in Florida, she visits during the summer and holidays"

"Gotcha…I'm really sorry about your mom by the way. I'm sure she was an amazing woman" she assured

"Yeah she was" he winced, slight pain evident in his voice. Michonne sighed as she watched him empathetically, nothing she could say or do could ease the pain of losing his mother, it was one of those things that took time to come back from, if you could. Death will always be something so common yet so traumatic whenever it came knocking. She reached towards him, softly placing her hand on his with a warm smile, hoping it would bring him some form of comfort. He searched her eyes, finding a feeling of being home within them. This was the first time in a long time that he felt anything or wanted too. He had his Grandmother when she was in town and sometimes his best friend's, Shane and Glenn but the person he needed the most shut down on him the day she closed her eyes. The once caring and loving man his father use to be, was evident no more, he was now a distant, sad, disconnected man that spent his days working long hours at the station, when he did come home it was for a quick shower, to eat, rest for a few and then to go right back to work. He hadn't had a conversation with Ritchie Sr. in months; his father could barely even look at him. It meant a lot to him that this girl, not barely knowing her could show him such a beautiful tenderness despite their first encounter leaving a slight sour taste in his mouth, a single touch from her warmed some of the coldest parts of him and it left him dumbfounded but yet very appreciative.

He cleared his throat, fighting away the emotions attempting to resurface, "You like to play ball?"

Michonne pursed her lips, trying to force down the smile threatening to form, "Yeah"

Rick nodded, "Good cause' I see an open court over there and an ass whooping with your name all over it"

"Oh really?" she chuckled out

"Yes mam" he responded confidently

"Well let's go then…I'll try not to make you cry" she joked back

Rick couldn't stop the wild smile that spread across his face, a smile that only she could provoke.

"Let's go then" he bantered back. They both stood up from the bench, still trash talking the other as they made their way over to the empty basketball court, ready to put some money to where their mouths were.

Four games later, they laid in the middle of the court next to one another, chest's rising and falling rapidly as they attempted to catch their breath. Rick's heather grey tee shirt laid next to him on the asphalt an almost charcoal grey due to the sweat it was drenched in. Michonne's once down locs now sat in a high ponytail, her purple halter top was pulled up and tied in a knot on the side, showing of her mid drift as she wiped the sweat pouring from her brow with the back of her hand.

"2-2…not bad at all. That was a pretty good game but don't ever let me play ball in jeans again" he asked through bated breathes

"Why in the world would you in the first place?"

"Cause I hate shorts"

"You had shorts on the day that I met you"she reminded him

"My grandma forced me to wear em, I hate em. My legs are too bendy for 'em"

"Bendy?…" she giggled out, "…Rick your legs are bow legged not bendy"

"Well that then…'Ion like it" he said somewhat insecure

"Oh stop…your bow legs are cute and if anyone ever tells you different then they are going to have to deal with me" she flirted subtly

His entire face felt warm to the touch as he ran his hand across it, wiping off the sweat pouring and also trying to hide the redness that filled his cheeks. He all of a sudden felt bashful in her company and he couldn't explain or pin point the reason why but what he could say is that he liked it.

"I guess your right" he finally responded, his eyes traveling over towards her. She opened her eyes to meet his gaze a soft smile formed on both of their faces as they got lost in one another; a feeling of time standing still was prominent in that moment. The only thing that could tear their eyes away was time and the flickering of lights.

Michonne immediately sat up looking around as the park's lights came on, she looked down the street towards home, no street lights on yet but she knew they would be soon. She sighed deeply as she began to stand up, wiping off dirt and debris from her clothes and skin. Rick watched her as he began to stand up as well, reaching down to grab his shirt off the ground.

"My mom said I had to be home before the street lights came on" a hint of sadness in her tone

"It's alright…we can hang out tomorrow if you want" he offered trying to mask his own disappointment

"Okay…you want to walk me home?" she questioned as she looked towards him, her eyes dazzling under the night sky

"Yeah…I would love too" he responded softly as he took her in

Michonne nodded shyly, breaking their gaze as he moved closer to her, ensuring he was on the closet side of the street as they began the short walk towards home.

A comfortable yet fulfilling silence enveloped them, not wanting words to interrupt the evident connection that was there, they continued the walk in silence. Once her house was reached, they stood outside the white picket fence that enclosed it. Rick stuffed his hands into his pockets as he stared at her, she had so many beautiful and interesting attributes about her but one that quickly became his favorite was the way she bit at her lip when she was deep in thought or nervous. It was something he noticed she did often in the short time of knowing her. It was so innocent yet so adorable, he felt his heart jump a little every time she did it. Michonne looked towards him, abruptly stopping the nibbling at her lip once she noticed his stare. She bashfully looked towards her home and then back towards him.

"Thanks for the walk" she responded softly

"It was no problem at all Michonne" he breathed out

"See you tomorrow?" she asked softly her eyes dancing across his face

"Of course…I wouldn't miss it for the world" he smiled warmly

Michonne nodded, a bashful grin on her face as she walked into the fence, locking it behind her as she made her way up the path way. She stopped midway, turning towards Rick to wave goodbye to him, once reciprocated she continued her journey up the front stairs and into her home. Rick watched her until she was in safely before walking past her home to his. He threw his shirt across his shoulder as he walked up the small hill, fumbling in his front pocket for his keys, he looked up to see Shane sitting on his front step with a toothy grin on his face, Rick already knowing what that face meant, rolled his eyes as he walked pass him

"What are you doing here Shane?" he asked as he inserted the house key into the lock

"I need a place to crash. Mama is working a double and don't think I should be home alone…thinks I'll crash the place"

"She's right" he turned the door knob

"Fuck off" Shane chuckled out his eyes scanning Rick before he continued, "Who the hell was that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow

Rick sighed not appreciating his best friend minding his business; he refused to feed into Shane's nosiness. He opened the front door and looked over to the knuckle head who smiled at him ready for all the information about to be spilled, "The girl next door…" was all he responded with as a small smile as he walked into the house.

"What?…that's all you gonna tell me" Shane questioned slightly offended by his best friend's tight lips as he followed behind Rick, closing and locking the front door behind him.

-2016-

Michonne stood in front of her dresser mirror, removing the bobby pins from her hair as she carefully uncoiled the four locs that held up her high ponytail. Her waist length locs cascaded down her shoulders as she gently tossed them with her fingers, ensuring they were all down and no bobby pins remained before sweeping the crimped locs to her back. She removed her jewelry before taking a makeup remover wipe out of the pack and gently rubbing it against her face, removing the bulk of the foundation, blush and lipstick she wore. Bright headlights caught her attention, the sound of a car turning off and doors opening and closing promoted her to walk towards her window, she smiled to herself seeing that he was finally back home. She leaned against the window pane as she watched him open the left door to the back seat, her heart almost leaped out of her chest when she saw him drape a sleeping Carl over his shoulder, ensuring he closed the door quietly not to wake the five-year-old. He swiftly walked from the truck to the front door of his home, opening and closing it just as quietly. Michonne sniffled softly, the scene causing some buried emotion to stir, she cleared her throat as she sat up straight from the window, she walked back over to her dresser to grab her face wash, moisturizer and toner before heading towards her in suite bathroom.

' _Oh sweet thing…Don't you know you're my everything'_ ; the lyrics filled the room as **Chaka Khan's** _'Sweet Thing'_ played from her cell phone that laid on the night stand. Michonne quickly grabbed the black KORN tee shirt that hung from the ottoman at the end of her bed, Rick's black shirt to be exact. He gave her the tee shirt to sleep in during one of their many sleepovers growing up; she conveniently kept forgetting to give it back to him until he finally forgot about it. She slept in it almost every single night even after all of the years that had passed. The oversized shirt hung slightly off her shoulder as she walked around the bed to pick up the phone, she smiled warmly as a photo of her smiling goofily as he playfully bit down on her neck displayed on the front screen; she reminisced on that day. It was the last year they attended the state fair together, a tear threatened to pour when she took in their happiness, how good it felt being in one another's arms, she missed them, she missed him and after being gone for so long it couldn't have been more evident. She cleared her throat quickly before swiping the screen to answer the call.

"Hey" she greeted softly, biting her lip bashfully

"Hey you" he responded, his deep, raspy tone filled her ear, sweetly

Michonne laid back on her bed allowing the warmth of it to overtake her.

"Just getting home?" she questioned already knowing the answer

"Nah I've been home for about thirty minutes, had to put Carl in bed. He's out like a light so I decided to jump in the shower really quick before I called… ain't want nothing to disrupt us" he responded softly

"Smart man…I'm happy you called" she gushed as she bit at her lip again

"Me too. It's nice hearing your voice" he responded soft and low

"…your's as well" she breathed out

Rick smiled warmly as thoughts of her flooded all of his senses, even though he just saw her a few hours prior, he needed to see her again. He needed to feel her close to him once more

"What ya' got planned for tomorrow?" he asked huskily

"Nothing I can think of"

"Want to grab breakfast in the morning?"

"Are you asking me on a date Reece?" she asked playfully

'Maybe…but it won't be much of one since Carl will be with us" he smiled out

"That's perfect actually…I've been wanting to meet him so it works out as long as he's okay with it. I don't want him thinking I'm trying to step on Lori's toes or anything"

Rick scoffed at the sound of her name, him and his ex-wife's relationship was pretty volatile to say the least. He tried his best to keep things cordial for Carl but that had proven almost impossible as of late, "Nah you don't have to worry about that. He'll love you and it's not much of her business if I have my son around family so you don't have to worry your pretty little head" he assured her with a smile

Michonne chuckled loudly as she brought the collar of his tee shirt over her mouth as if she was hiding her blushing face from a nonexistent audience, "You're such a dork" she chuckled out

"…only for you" he gushed out

"…okay" she responded softly

"Alright…I'll pick you up around 9ish"

"Okay…I can't wait to see you" she yawned out as she rolled over to her side to get comfortable

"Me either…I wouldn't miss it for the world" he responded through a deep yawn

Michonne smiled to herself at the sentiment before bursting into a fit of giggles, "We're so old"

"Who's old?" he asked with a cheeky grin trying to play it off as if he was offended  
"Us…we can barely stay up past 11'"

"Ion' know about you but I'm aging like fine wine my dear…"

"Yeah right…more like fermented grapes" she chuckled out

"Aye now…don't make me have to show you and thang or two" he flirted

"Oh really?" she flirted back, challenging him subtly

"Yes mam but I'll have to show you that another time…" he responded, longing for the very moment he could feel her limbs wrapped around his

"Mmm…I'm banking on that" she responded huskily, lust filling her soft tone as her mind went to all of the passionate moments that they had shared and the ones still to come

"The thangs you do to me…Woman…I think I need to get off this phone before you get me in trouble" he bantered

"Me?"

"Yes you…" he responded with a chuckle

"When have I ever gotten you in trouble?"

"Michonne-you always got me in trouble. You know how many times I got my hind skinned because of those beautiful eyes and that devilish grin you gave me…had me all hypnotized and shit"

"Bullshit" she chuckled out

"Yeah alright…you know I'm right" he smiled out

"Whatever" she playfully pouted out

"Oh stop and put that lip back in" he prompted

"Nope…go to bed. I'm mad at you"

"Awww you want me to come up to make it all better"

"Nope…remember I get you in trouble" she teased

"…you do but I never said it's was a bad thing" he blushed out

Michonne smiled warmly to herself, he always had a way of bringing out the softest, most sensual parts of her and she had to admit she loved every minute of it.

"We have an early day tomorrow… I'm going to sleep Reece"

"…so soon?"

"Yeah…unless you wan't me to scare poor Carl…", she giggled out before continuing, "…you know I am not a morning person"

"Yeahhh I know…alright then…Goodnight Mickz" he drew out

"Goodnight Reece"

"dream of me?" he asked in almost a whisper

"…every night" she responded just as soft, a gentle smile spreading on her face at the fact that he remembered it after so long, they didn't go a night without saying those words to one another. It was something special that was shared only between them.

"Alright…see you in the morning"

"…see you in the morning" she breathed out, her cell phone lingering on her ear until she heard the tone of the call being ended. She inserted her charger cord into the phone before reaching over and placing it back on the night stand. She switched off her lamp, turning slightly to fluff up her pillows as she snuggled deeper into her comforter with a warm smile; thoughts of him flooding her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

-SD-


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

'….she's my favorite'

The foreign rays from the early morning sun felt warm against Rick's bare forearm as it hung out of the driver's side window; a gentle breeze rustled his thick curls from their place, in a swift motion he guided his fingers through them, adjusting them back before placing his arm back to its resting spot. He looked in the rear view mirror at his sleeping son, a soft smile formed on his lips at the image before looking back towards the front door of Michonne's home. Butterflies filled his stomach as he sat in his 4-Door 2016 Sierra 3500 Denali pickup truck waiting for her, he was genuinely excited for her to formally meet Carl; she had only seen him through photos that he would text or email her over the years, a sense of euphoria washed over him at the thought of his son being able to meet the amazing woman he had the pleasure to call his best friend, that he would be able to bask in the same radiance he had since they were 14. He knew today was about them meeting but being able to just lay eyes on the brown skinned beauty again was a blessing within itself.

Rick adjusted the rolled up sleeve of his dark blue denim shirt so it sat more comfortably around his elbow before he moved on to brushing off the straight leg black jeans worn and pulling them over the brown cowboy boots that complimented the rustic look. The front door opening caught his attention, his heart almost stopped when he caught sight of her stepping down from the threshold, closing the door behind her and locking it. He sat with his mouth agape almost salivating as she walked towards the truck with a bright smile; she was absolutely radiant under the morning sunlight.

He couldn't help but drink her up; taking in the white V-neck tee shirt worn that was knotted at the waist, showing off a slither of her toned stomach, her thick hips and ample back side filled out the black Lurelly Chloe pants she wore like a masterpiece, her still crimped locs were swept to the left as they cascaded down her chest and shoulder, a light brown Panama hat with a black grosgrain band sat on top of her sea of locs, light brown wedges, a gold chained necklace with the initial 'M' graced her slender neck along with a pair of diamond studded earrings, a gold charm bracelet and an oversized black clutch bag completed the look; it was no denying that she looked damn good. Rick felt parched all of a sudden as his eyes continued to follow her towards his truck, he quickly covered his crotch area with his denim shirt attempting to hide the excitement she had stirred within him.

"Hey you…" Michonne smiled out while opening the passenger side of the truck and hopping in next to him

Rick quickly cleared his throat, "Hey yourself…you look gorgeous Mickz" he gushed out, how thirsty he was evident as the words fell from his tongue; his eyes continuing to roam every inch and curve of her skin

Her cheeks grew flush as she giggled bashfully, "…thanks-you look pretty good yourself" she bantered back, her eyes studying the length of him; how handsome he looked left her a bit flustered as she tore away her gaze to reach forward to close the truck's door.

A soft sigh escaped her lips before looking towards Rick; a soft smile already on his face as he took her in. She met his gaze, a familiar warmth filled the air as they took in one another. A small yawn from the backseat broke her gaze, she looked towards the source of the noise, her heart fluttered as she studied the young child looking heavily eyed back at her; his skin was as pale as snow with the most beautiful light brown freckles that scattered across his chubby little cheeks like constellations in a moonlit sky, his bone straight hair a deep chestnut brown with eyes the clearest of blues; just like his father. Little Carl was a gorgeous little boy, almost a splitting image of his daddy minus a few small details, she looked towards Rick with a small smile on her face, "He's beautiful…"

Rick's chest swelled with pride as he looked towards her with admiration, "Thank you" he responded softly

Michonne beamed at him before turning her attention back towards the 5-year old who was sound asleep again, she chuckled to herself as she looked towards Rick, "What did you do to this poor baby... he can barely keep his eyes open?"

"Not nuthin'…he's just a sleeper like his daddy" he joked as he buckled his seatbelt

"I just hope he doesn't snore like you, Yogi" she teased as she turned around in the seat, reaching for her seatbelt to fasten it

"Don't make me bite you…" he responded in a low raspy tone

"Stop it…" she reprimanded him through a giggle, "…there's little ears in the car"

"He ain't paying us no mind…he's asleep" he reminded her through a wide grin as he turned the key in the ignition, starting the truck before shifting the gear to drive and pulling out of the parking spot heading towards downtown King's County.

Michonne bit her lip as she watched him, the feeling of warmth strong in the air again as she bashfully diverted her gaze, her eyes roamed the interior of the truck as she ran her fingers along the soft black leather seats and instrument panels, admiring every detail and fine stich of the vehicle, "This is a beautiful truck Rick…it's a pretty big upgrade from Delilah-I miss her…"

"Yeahhh me too… a lot of good memories in that truck" he agreed with a smile as they pulled up to a red stop light; turning his position slightly towards her, needing to take her in for a quick moment

"…very good memories" she reconfirmed as her face grew warm, thoughts of the countless late nights and early mornings they spent in the bed of that truck filled her mind sweetly, she bit her lip bashfully as her gaze met his, the soft smile on his face and sweetness in his eyes confirmed he was thinking the same. Rick glanced at the backseat, ensuring his son was still sleeping soundly before he reached towards her, gently running his fingers across the soft skin of her arm and wrist before wrapping his fingers into hers. She studied him for a second, her heart full of a love that was as sweet as honey, she smiled bashfully at him as she tightened the embrace. A wide smile spread across Rick's face, his cheeks flushed red as he turned his attention back to the light that had just turned green. He pulled off from the stop light, heading down Magnolia Ave towards Carol's Café.

The quaint parking lot was surprisingly scarce for a Sunday, most weekends they were so jammed pack you had to park a few blocks down and walk up but today they were lucky, most of the town's residents were still in sunrise church services so they had an hour or so before the crowd came in.

Rick closed the driver's side door, adjusting the leg of his jeans before opening the door to the back seat. He placed the keys in the pocket of his denim shirt before bending forward and reaching around his sleeping son to unbuckle the seatbelt from across the car seat and unhooking the security straps that sat across Carl's chest and shoulders. Rick gently picked the young boy up, splaying him across his shoulder as he gently closed the door to the back seat behind him. He walked around the truck, meeting a smiling Michonne on the sidewalk as he adjusted the sleeping boy on his shoulder, "You ready?" he asked sweetly. She nodded softly as Rick placed his hand on the small of her back, leading them into the diner.

The smell of syrup, fried eggs, and bacon flooded their senses as soon as they made their way inside, heading towards the open booth that was nestled in the corner. Michonne placed her clutch down on the mahogany wood table top before disappearing to the front of the restaurant and returning with a batman themed booster seat. Rick stepped back as he watched her place it down on the booth's seat

"Thank you" he responded huskily

"It's no problem" she assured softly, biting her lip bashfully as she turned on her heels, heading towards the other side of the booth and sliding into it. She watched as Rick gently nudged the five-year-old out of his sleep before sitting him in the booster seat, securing it and taking his seat in front of Michonne. She watched as Carl groggily rubbed at his eyes and yawned, his blue eyes glistening as he looked towards her with wonderment. Michonne looked towards Rick, who's eyes traveled from his son's to hers; a warm smile accompanying the look.

"Carl it's someone I want you to meet..." he informed as he grabbed a coloring mat and crayons from the end of the table. He placed the mat down before opening and pouring out the box of crayons in front of him, "...this here is Michonne"

The five-year-old studied her intently, as if he was reading her like a page from his favorite comic book, a few seconds passed before he darted his eyes back over to his father and then over to her again, "Hi I'm Carl" he drew out in the softest of voices, a shy smile tugging at the corners of his lips

Michonne smiled brightly, his adorableness leaving her a bit giddy, "It's nice to meet you Carl...I've heard so many things about you...Did you know that I'm one your daddy's best friend's?... "

The child shook his head no as he sat engaged with the mystery woman, Rick smiled at the light hearted banter between them before picking up where Michonne had left off, "…yep-we've been in each other's lives for over 15 years. She's someone very special to me." he breathed out with a smile, glancing over to Michonne for emphasis.

The little boy's eyes opened with surprise, "WOW…you're really old daddy" he responded with a giggle

Rick scoffed playfully, slightly offended by his son's innocent dig, "Thanks Carl" he replied dryly before his eyes traveled over to the giggling Michonne, who was trying to hide her amusement with her hand, "I'on know what you're laughing at...remember you're just a year younger than me. So if I'm old...you're ancient" he responded with a chuckle, Carl gasping with wide eyes in response caused him to laugh harder. Michonne sat with her mouth agape as she peered at him, "You're lucky young Carl is here because if he was not...you would be getting one of these" she shook her fist at him through the giggle.

"Oh stop..." he responded through a smile as he leaned forward in the seat, reaching under the table he grazed his fingers along her thighs

Michonne's cheeks grew flush at the contact, she looked towards the young boy who was currently engrossed with coloring before looking back towards Rick, she bit her lip gently as she studied him, trailing her fingers across his. His eyebrow raised inquisitively, knowing that look all too well, he licked his lips as he gripped her thigh, the feeling of warmth falling heavily over them again.

"Thanks so much for coming into Carol's cafe today...My name is Amy-how may I help y'all today?" the young blond waitress asked as she passed out silverware and menus

"Hi Amy", they both greeted with small smiles, Rick released his grip, bringing his hands from under the table to open up the menu and look it over

"Could we place our drink orders first?", he asked continuing to scan the beverage section of the menu

"Of course" she responded sweetly

After a few moments he looked towards the waitress again, "Okay...can I have an apple juice for the little one here, an orange juice a-"

"Two please" Michonne chimed in with a soft smile, glancing towards Rick before looking back down at the menu

Rick nodded with a smile, "Yeah...an apple juice and two orange juices please?"

"Okay so a kid sized apple and two OJ's...right?" she asked as she scribbled the drink order down on her pad

"Yes mam"

"Okay...I'll grab those while y'all take a look at the menu… I'll be right back with those drinks" she responded with a smile before heading over to the drink bar to prepare the order

"Everything sounds so good" Michonne hummed excitedly as she scanned the menu

Rick chuckled to himself, "Yeahhh it does...the steak and eggs sound really good right about now"

"Mmmmm that sounds delicious...I kind of want that and some chunky monkey pancakes" she gushed out, shimmying in her seat as emphasis of what she thought about the meal

Rick smiled at her cuteness before reading over the kid's menu, "Carl you want strawberry or blueberry pancakes?"

"Strawberry please?" he responded, his eyes never leaving the multi-colored drawing he was coloring in

"Bacon or sausage?"

"Bacon"

"Green eggs or blue"

"gr-...HEY!", the little boy's eyes shot up to his father's as the coloring of the drawing seized

Rick and Michonne chuckled as the child searched their eyes in confusion, "see that's what happens when you don't pay attention to your daddy" he chided him gently with a smile

"Sorry papa..." He apologized softly as he laid the crayon down and gave his father his full attention

"It's alright...go ahead and continue coloring", he said softly as he kissed his son's forehead, rustling his hair gently before the young boy went back to his drawing

Michonne watched the dynamic between the two, her body warm as she took him in, fatherhood was something that looked so good on Rick, she had been the one to see him at his best and worst growing up but seeing him with this little soul...this little person, who was half of him was so surreal to her. It touched a part of her that she had shut out so long ago, it allowed for the love that she already had for him to run deeper than the ocean.

The waitress returning with their drinks interrupted her thoughts, she smiled sweetly as Amy sat the drinks down on the table in front of them and grabbed her note pad ready to take their food order

"Alright what can I get y'all?" she beamed

Rick cleared his throat, "Can I have the kids's strawberry pancake platter with bacon and eggs scrambled with cheese, the lady will have the steak and eggs with the steak well done...eggs scrambled hard with onions, peppers and cheese. She also would like an order of chunky monkey pancakes...can you substitute the whipped cream with powdered sugar?", the waitress nodded yes with a small smile darting her eyes over to Michonne, who sat with an eyebrow raised…impressed at how he still knew her down to a science after so long. Amy looked back towards the gentlemen continuing to take the order, "I also would like another order of the steak and eggs, done medium well, the eggs fried with cheese and a strawberry waffle...please"

"No problem...", she responded happily as she began to collect the menus, "I'm putting this in now...y'all's food will be out shortly-alright!" she chimed as she headed towards the kitchen to submit the order to the kitchen

Michonne watched as Rick fidgeted with his fingers, something he did when he was either about to knock someone's teeth in or his mind was troubling him, today had only been about love, reconnecting and new beginnings, so she chose to go with the latter. Wanting to pull him from whatever had him plagued, she reached forward across the table a small smile on her face as she gently grazed his fingers with her own, he looked towards her with eyes immediately filling with happiness as he looped his index finger into hers, the need to be close strong between the two.

Still in the embrace, she diverted her attention over to the very quiet child who accompanied them, she watched as he colored in a replica of a very familiar character.

"Wolverine's claws look so amazing Carl!…you're a very talented drawer" she complimented the young boy with a warm smile

"Thank you…you know who wolverine is?" he questioned with a perplexed expression

"Of course I do… I love comic books, especially Marvel. Wolverine is pretty cool but my all-time favorite character is Monica Rambeau she is super cool… she can absorb energy, travel at the speed of light, fly and can even disappear and that's not even half of what she can do…" the young boy looked in awe as she continued "… I remember being around your age and sneaking into my closet with a flashlight to re-read The Amazing Spider Man Annual #16 issue. A birthday gift from my favorite Uncle Ray, it was the very first comic that introduced her. I still have the issue in mint condition in my collection…if you ever want to borrow it or just go through it let your old man over here know and I'll bring them over" she beamed

"That would be sooo cool… Thank you Miss. Michonne" he responded excitement filling his tone

"No problem kid and just call me 'Chonne" she smiled out as she took a sip of her orange juice

"Okay…" the young boy smiled widely as he leaned into his father, placing his hand over his mouth once he was close to his ear, "…she's my favorite" he whispered loudly as he looked towards Michonne innocently before going back to coloring

"Yeah… mine too" Rick responded huskily as he looked towards her, the feeling of love, admiration and the want of forever strong in his heart. Michonne blushed at the sentiment, thoughts of the many… many ways that she wanted to reciprocate those feelings flooded her mind as lust filled her loins.

Amy heading towards them with a smile and their food was somewhat of a saving grace from her feelings, Michonne pushed down her needs as she flashed a smile at the young woman.

"Here you all go…" she announced sweetly as she put the tray down on the neighboring table and began bringing over the plates to their table, Rick assisted with passing out the hot, decadent meals as Amy went back for the remaining items. He placed Carl's plate in the middle of the table so that he could cut up the young boy's pancakes, he passed Michonne her entrée with a smile, she grabbed the plate from him and placed it in front of herself before nudging towards the boy's plate, Rick nodded at her silent communication," If you don't mind…" he drew out with a smirk, impressed by how quickly her maternal instinct kicked in as he placed his own plate down and began helping Amy pass out the remaining dishes. Michonne smiled to herself as she slid Carl's plate closer, unwrapping his silverware, she grabbed his fork and knife, smearing the butter into each pancake before she began cutting the dollar sized cakes even smaller.

"Maple, Strawberry or Blueberry syrup…Carl?"

"Ummm blueberry please Miss. 'Chonne" he responded sweetly

Michonne giggled to herself, "No problem kid" she responded as she grabbed the sweet, blue sticky substance from the rack of condiments and poured it over top of them. Once he gave her a nod he was content with the amount she sat up in her seat slightly to reach over the table and sit the plate down in front of him.

"Thank you" he beamed as he watched his father move the coloring mat out of the way in order to bring the plate in closer. Rick chuckled at the wide smile his son flashed him before he began to eat, he turned his attention back to Amy

"I hope you guy's enjoy…if you need anything just give me a holla and I'll be right over" she informed with a smile; Rick and Michonne thanked her with soft smiles before she picked up the tray and headed back to the kitchen. Rick's eyes traveled over to Michonne. who was busy spreading butter and maple syrup onto his waffle; his cheeks warm as he watched her doing something so familiar to both of them; taking care of one another…it had been something they took pride in since they were younger…something no matter where the walks of life took them, they always came back to.

She extended her arm, handing the plate back to him with a wide smile, he chuckled as he took the plate from her, gently grazing her fingers with his, "Thank you…" he drew out as his eyes dropped from her beautiful face down to her just as beautiful body and back up before placing the plate down and beginning to dig in. Michonne smirked before retracting her arm and picking up her fork, diving into her own meal.

Breakfast was full of laughter, jokes, lightheartedness and bonding, seeing how quickly Carl took to Michonne and vice versa made the morning outing well worth it, Rick grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket, peeling out a $50.00-dollar bill and laying it on the table to cover the cost of the meal and a hefty tip for the wonderful waitress. He slid out of the booth with a heavy sigh, rubbing his full stomach with a slight pout as he looked over to Michonne, who giggled at the adorableness he managed to only display for her. He scrunched up his face in response teasingly, before reaching across the seat and unbuckling the booster seat that Carl remained in. He lifted his son out of the seat, blowing a quick raspberry on his stomach while midair before placing him on the floor, Carl giggled uncontrollably as he hugged his father's leg for a moment before letting go and grabbing his drawing off of the table. Rick walked over to Michonne, extending his hand out for her to take, she watched him for a minute before biting her lip bashfully and following suit, allowing him to guide her out of the seat and next to him. He interlocked his fingers into hers, a soft smile on their faces as their eyes locked for a moment before Rick tore his gaze away to motion for Carl to take his right hand, once the young boy did so, he glanced from his left to right, a happiness that words could not explain filled him as he led the two most important people in the world to him out of the diner.

Somewhere between leaving Carol's and the short distance back home, Carl somehow convinced his father to take a detour to Governor Phillip Blake's state park under the notion of wanting to show his new friend his favorite thing's in the world.

Rick stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked over to the woman next to him, her arms crossed over her chest as they walked the gravel pathway in a content silence; Carl a small distance away. A smile of contentment formed against his face as his eyes lingered on her for a moment. He never knew how much he needed her until she was back home with him, how much he longed for her presence and touch, how completely oblivious he was to how deeply he missed her; he silently made a vow to himself to not ever let her go again.

"Where here 'CHONNE!..." Carl shrieked as he stood by the lake, rushing over to Michonne and wrapping his small fingers into hers "Come on…. I want to introduce you" he excitedly pulled her with him

"Be careful Carl…Don't pull her down now" Rick warned as he headed after them

"It's okay" she assured as she looked back to him, turning her attention back to the young boy who was leading her over to the lake. He stopped abruptly, bending down to peer over the dirt mound that divided the grass from the water; his hand still wrapped in hers.

"There they are…" he gushed out, looking towards her and back over to the baby duck's swimming in the water, once catching sight of him they flocked over to him immediately, almost covering his feet as they chirped in excitement. He gently rubbed each one of their heads as he giggled in excitement, he looked back up to her "…they're my friends"

Michonne smiled brightly at the happy child, her heart feeling as if it could implode at that very moment, she couldn't say when or how but she knew that this child would have a big impact on her life that along with his father would be what brought her back to who she was and that was something she happily accepted. She bent down next to him, one of the duck's coming closer to her, another following suit, she beamed as she bit her lip happily as she rubbed the duck's head gently, mimicking Carl.

"Do they have names?"

"Of course they do…Daddy always says that everything and everyone has a name, that it is the beginning of what d-de- DADDY!, What's the last part again?" he turned to his father

"…defines us" Rick finished the sentence with a smile filled with pride

Carl smiled widely at his father before turning his attention back towards Michonne, "yeah that…" he responded happily, "Oh let me tell you their names 'Chonne…" he exclaimed before pointing out each duck, "…that one is daddles, that one is quack quack, here is quackerjack, oh-oh and this one is Webber-he's my favorite, oh and-and…" the little boy continued naming off all 8 of the ducks in the flock

Michonne beamed as she took in the inquisitive, intelligent, articulate, humorous and bubbly child in front of her. It was almost uncanny how many of his father's attributes he had at such a young age, he was remarkable and the fact Rick trusted her enough to share this little precious gift of his with her, spoke so many volumes to what she meant to him, it spoke to the impact that she had on his life and in the future his son's. Michonne looked behind her, taking in the overjoyed man staring back at her with a smile. She smiled back at him, utter jovial filling every part of her before she turned her attention back to Carl and his little friend's.

After an hour or so they slowly trudged their way back up the pave way to where the truck was parked, Carl excitedly galloped down the trail with a large stick tucked between his legs; pretending to be a cowboy riding his trusty steed named Flame… preparing for their next mission within arm's length away. Rick and Michonne chuckled lightly at the boy's very active imagination as they walked shoulder to shoulder, their fingers gently caressing the other's as they moved together fluently.

"He's such a brilliant child, Rick" she complimented as she looked over to him

"He is…that boy's my everything..." he chuckled out before continuing, "…reasons why I needed y'all to meet. Both of you guys will be a major part of my life forever, I ain't letting it go and it just pisses me off that despite how beautiful today day was as soon as I drop him back off at the Rouses... I'm going to have to hear er' mouth about you all meeting. Shit shouldn't even matter but because it's YOU- it will and it ain't right"

"So that's what that was back at the diner?" she questioned, already knowing the answer

"Yeahhh…today has been so amazing…just being around you and him at the same time was-," he struggled to find the words that could truly emphasis how he felt at that moment, how the happiness of seeing both of his loves together filled him from the top of his head down to his toes. He sighed heavily before continuing, "all I know is hell is about to be unleashed and I just don't want you apart of this mess"

"I know how to handle Lori so you don't have to worry about that, this is about us. I literally fell head over hills in love with that child in the span of four hours, you know what you mean to me and now how he's here an-…I'm not letting you guys go. I refuse to allow anyone and I mean anyone to take my happiness from me, whether it's Lori or Jarrod. We are not kid's anymore; we are two adults that are more than capable of making our own decisions and if we chose one another then it is OUR choice and they need to respect it. I will not allow them the opportunity; my respect for her is only because she is Carl's mother, anything else is trivial…", her voice as soothing as a lullaby to a fussy infant. She halted her steps, turning to face him as she gently placed her hand on his cheek, guiding his gaze to meet hers, "…you are mine and I am yours… that is the only thing that matters" she assured, her brown eyes full of certainty and warmth

Rick searched those eyes, finding truth, love, and promise within them, he nodded slowly a small smile forming against this lips, "Yeahhh it is" he rasped out as he brought her into an embrace, once released they walked the short distance to catch up with Carl, heading towards the parking lot and then home.

Michonne beamed as she walked up the front stairs to her home, biting down on her lip happily as she thought of him, the one constant force in her life, the one man who had never let her down. Rick was her first example and definition of true love and the fact that she now had another part of him to love made her heart swell. She looked behind her at the father and son sitting in the pick-up truck smiling widely at her, she chuckled at their adorableness; smiling back at them before waving goodbye once more to Carl and motioning for Rick to call her once settled; he nodded in agreement. She smiled brightly at him once more before turning towards the front door and inserting the key into the lock, turning it counterclockwise until it unlocked; she twisted the door knob, opening the door slowly and stepping in. She closed it softly behind her as she headed down the hall way.

"I see that you found your way back to him, huh?" the deep, monotonous voice greeted her

"Hm-something you know all too well" she responded curtly, irritation creeping up under her skin like venom from a black widow spider

"Michonne I'm not trying to fight with you-I simply want the best-"

"You could never tell me what's best for me…you and mom were married for almost 21 years and you still couldn't resist from hurting her… so sorry I'd rather not listen to any advice that you are offering, Jarrod" she bit out as she began walking past the living room

"I'm still your father" he responded sternly, displeasure building in his tone

Michonne stopped, her brows furrowed as she looked back at the man standing in front of the bay window of their living room; her eyes tainted with bitterness, "-sorry but you stopped being that a long time ago" she breathed out, exhaling deeply as she turned around and headed up the stairs towards her bedroom; anger beginning to consume her.

-SD


	5. Note

Hey guys…. It's not an update just yet, I've been a little under the weather and extremely tired so I haven't been able to finish the remainder of Chap 5. I literally only have a few more paragraphs and editing and it will be finished. My goal is to have it up early next week so please be on the lookout for it. I promise it will not let you down. Thanks for all the love and continuance support…you guys are gem's and I love you all so so much. See you guys again soon… peace & blessings…


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

'It's always been about HER…'

 **-1998-**

The lively grass tickled against their bare legs as they made their way through the lush green field towards the lake, a subtle breeze beginning to blow as early afternoon gently approached. Rick and Michonne walked in a comfortable silence, stealing bashful glances of one another as their shoulders softly brushed against the other's, it had only been a few short weeks since they had met and yet it felt like years; the duo were almost inseparable. Every day they were with one another whether it was at the park, candy shack or arcade; being together had become their thing. Rick had other friends of course, he would mention them to Michonne in passing but he never felt compelled to bring them around her; honestly a small part of him didn't want to… he wanted their hangouts to be solely them, something that they shared together. He wasn't ready to share her with them until today…. thanks to Shane blabbering to all of his other friend's about the cute new girl in town that he had been joined to the hip with for the past few weeks, they demanded to meet her and here they were.

"So you ready to meet 'em?" his eyes traveled over to her, taking in how beautifully her skin glowed under the sun, the golden undertones looked as if her skin was laced in the finest honey; a slight smirk formed on his face as he watched her bend forward to pick a dandelion from its patch, he stopped patiently while she did so

"Yeah…. I guess it will be cool to meet your other friends… Lori, Glenn and Maggie seem pretty cool but I'm still on the fence about that Shane one... He sounds like an asshole to me" she blurted out as she stood up straight, adding the flower to the small bunch of dandelions she had in her hand

Rick chuckled at his friend's curtness… on top of her biting at her lip, her swearing had become one of the second things on his list of favorite things about her, "OH stop…just give him a fair chance… you may come around" he assured through a toothy grin as he adjusted their towels on his shoulder

"Fine…" she huffed out as she rolled her eyes playfully, nudging him gently as they continued walking towards their destination

"… they your favorite", he asked in almost a whisper, nodding towards the flower's in her hands once she looked towards him

"Oh these? -no they aren't…" she shook her head in disagreement, "…Sunflowers are my favorite but these are pretty as well. When the sun is about to set, I like blow on them and make wishes" she responded through a soft smile

Rick nodded…making a mental note to himself, "Any ever come true?"

"Maybe…" she responded as she bit her lip gently, her eyes lingering on him a minute longer before she diverted her gaze so that he wouldn't catch her stare

Rick smiled to himself, taking notice of her previous gaze… he had to admit that it felt good to know that she noticed him, that she watched him as much as he watched her. He caught himself watching her a lot more as their friendship over the past weeks continued to blossom, it was something about her that captivated him and just held him. It was as if she left him stuck and it was nothing he could do to pull himself free.

'Crush' by Jennifer Paige greeted the them as they made their way over to a smaller group of his friends. Michonne shimmied her shoulders to the beat of the song causing Rick to let out a boyish giggle; her cuteness was always on full display. She giggled as well as they continued towards the other teens.

Shane stood next to Lori, filling her ear with another one of his crass and obnoxious stories. Attempting to zone him out, the tall slender beauty huffed to herself as she scanned the area for the only person she had an interest in seeing, Rick. Her eyes immediately landing on him as she pursed her lips together, enjoying how good he looked in his destroyed light blue denim shirts, white tee and flip flops. As minimal as he was, he always had a way to make it look damn good. Excitement started to build up at the thought of being able to spend almost the entire day with him, that excitement quickly disappeared when she finally noticed that he was not alone. A mystery girl was with him, she took in how beautiful the girl was in her dark blue denim jacket, yellow tube dress that hung a tad close to her body, the straps of the green bathing suit she wore under it evident, her loc'd hair in two high buns on the top of her head; she was a sight to behold and the closeness between her and Rick proved that she was no stranger to him. Lori raised an eyebrow under her round white sunglasses, the interaction between them hitting a nerve as she watched them approach… she quickly smoothed her hand against her auburn hair that was slicked back into a high ponytail before adjusting the straps on the pink and white fringed top two piece she wore.

"Hey Rick" she greeted flirtatiously as she grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug, locking eyes with Michonne in search of a reaction as she pulled back

"Hey Lori" he greeted back tight lipped, unimpressed with the stunt she just attempted to pull, he looked over to Michonne to ensure she was okay, she winked at him a silent response to his question

"Whadd'up man…" Shane barked loudly at Rick with a smile, his friendly smile quickly turned into a smirk when he saw the beauty standing next to him, "-well hello baby…. how are you doing lovely? My name is Shane, this dickhead over here's best friend" he cheecked out as he extended his hand towards her for a handshake

Rick rolled his eyes at the shit show that Shane was trying to throw down to Michonne, knowing Shane as well as he did, he knew it was just an attempt to see if she was willing to be one of his next conquest, he looked over to Michonne who's raised eyebrow confirmed she was not impressed.

"First off my name is _Michonne …_ **mih-SHOWN** and I am not your baby or lovely and I would appreciate it if you address me by my god given name if not we WILL have a problem… okay?" she snapped before a small smile crept up against her lips as she took in the look of shock plastered across Shane's face. His eyes immediately looking towards Rick, who stood with a smug expression as he looked cheekily between the two

"M-M-My bad Michonne- ion' want no problems, just think you beautiful is all" he gushed out as he raised his hands midair to show he meant no offense by his previous statement

"It's cool" she responded with a slight shrug as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, her eyes now roaming over the lake

Rick watched her intently; a gentle smile sweeping across his face as took her in… the way she shyly bit at her lip as she gazed around their surroundings was too cute for measure, a small part of him wondered if she had any idea the effect that she had on him. He moved closer to her…gently bumping his elbow into hers, a bright smile flashed across her face as she playfully swatted him away with her hands.

Lori rolled her eyes at the interaction, a pang of jealousy hitting her hard, "I'm going to get another drink..." she announced in a slightly annoyed tone as she began walking towards the concession stand

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?", Rick questioned as he turned his attention away from Michonne and over towards Shane

"They roun' here somewhere...", Shane responded as his eyes roamed over the area, "-oh there they are- AYE Laverne and Shirley hurry up… Rick and Michonne are here" he belted towards the duo emerging from the lake. They jogged over to the trio, both of them flashing a bright smile once close

"Hey Ya'll" the pretty brunette twanged out as she looked between Rick and Michonne with a smile. The cute boy with her waved sweetly towards them before greeting Rick with a dap

"Hey Mags…" Rick drew out as he brought her into a hug, "… this here is my friend Michonne" he practically gushed out as he parted from the hug

"Hi" Michonne smiled out as she extended her hand for a handshake

Maggie playfully swatted her hand away, "PSHHH we are hugging folks around here… any friend of Rick's is a friend of our's. It's really nice to meet you Michonne…" she responded sweetly before wrapping her arms around the other teen and hugging her tightly. Michonne hugged her back, her eyes traveling over to Rick's who looked on with a content smirk. Maggie parted from the hug "…this cutie over here is my boyfriend Glenn" she practically beamed out as she looked towards the cute Asian kid with jet black hair, glasses and red swimming trunks standing next to her.

Michonne waved at him shyly, she was met with a warm smile. Maggie smiled brightly at the two placing her hands on her hips, showing off the baby blue halter top one-piece swimsuit with a light red floral design on it, she ran her hands through her feathered shoulder length bob as she looked on at the boy's immediate rough housing and banter.

"Girl let them at it… want to catch a swim?" she smiled out as she looped her arm into Michonne's

"Okay… let me just grab my towel from Rick" she responded as she un-looped her arm from Maggie's and walked over to where Rick stood

"I need my towel" she informed as she stopped in front of him

"Where you going?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow as he handed her one of the towels from his shoulder

"I'm going to swim with Maggie…Why?" she bantered as she took the towel from him

"-just curious is all" he shrugged out, his eyes lingering on her

"Mhm" Michonne smirked out as she turned on her heel and headed back towards Maggie

Rick watched as the two girls stopped in front of a vacant wooden recliner chair hearing her infectious giggle and seeing her flash that million-dollar smile of hers was an extra ray of sunshine for him. Her happiness had become one of his top priorities in the few short weeks that they had been acquaintances, it gave him a sense of purpose, motivation... another reason to jump out of the bed in the morning. Glenn and Shane laughing interrupted his thoughts, he glanced over to the two knuckleheads who were engrossed in a competition to see who could balance the full soda can on their nose for the longest. He shook his head, immediately over their antics as his eyes drifted back towards Michonne who was now changing , his gawking eyes stuck to her like glue; his mother always taught him that it was rude to stare but he doubted his mother had ever seen someone as gorgeous as Michonne, he watched as she pulled the yellow dress that she was wearing over her head, exposing the light green scoop necked one piece swimsuit with sequined gold palm trees worn under, it was so many words that he could use to describe her in that moment yet the only thing that his brain could conjure up was that she looked hella' fucking HOT, to be frank of course. His eyes stayed on her up until her and Maggie entered into the lake's cool waters hand in hand.

Rick adjusted his weight between his feet, being at a somewhat short distance from her caused a little unease to settle within him all of a sudden. These feelings, this 'special' friendship that they shared was something very new and unexpected for him but it was something he was entirely engrossed in, whether he realized it or not.

"Hey Rick..."Lori drew out as she wrapped her arm around Rick's shoulder "...let's go swim", she flirted as she ran her hand down his arm, beginning to drag him towards the lake

"Let me get out these clothes first" he responded as he gently removed his arms from her clutches and heading towards the chair that contained Michonne's belongings. He removed the striped towel from off of his shoulder, placing it down next to Michonne's before he pulled his white tee from over his head, ridding it to the chair with everything else and kicking off his flip flops. He did a quick clean out of his pockets, tucking his house keys and wallet into Michonne's denim jacket before walking towards the lake with Lori close beside him.

The cool water felt exhilarating against Rick's hot skin as he waded in it, taking a much needed rest from the 6th round of chicken Glenn, Shane Michonne and Maggie were playing. His eyes as always were fixated on her as she sat on top of Shane's shoulders, laughing loudly as she attempted to knock Maggie from off of Glenn's shoulders. Shane whooping and hollering supportively at her; knowing their 4th win was underway. Rick chuckled to himself at how attentive and welcoming they were of her, it felt like as if they were just old friend's reconnecting again after being away from another for a few years; it felt so familial and he knew this was something that would last for years to come.

"So…who exactly is she to you?" Lori probed as she moved in closer to him

"My friend" he quipped

"Based on how close you guys are and the way that she looks at you, I'm surprised that she isn't throwing herself at you" she shrugged out

"I'm not really sure what you are getting at here…Lori" he responded, cocking his neck to the side as he looked at her with a furrowed brow

"I'm just looking out for you… we are friends and you mean a lot to me Rick. I just ain't sure about her" she almost gushed out as she wiped a wet curl from his forehead

"-and why's that?" he questioned

"She's just different from us, she's new in town and I just don't know if she can be trusted"

Rick felt his blood boiling, it took everything in him not to go in on Lori and her ignorant, small minded views on someone that she knew nothing about "You don't know a thang about her…nothing of her. She is fucking amazing and if you took your head out of your ass for long enough… you would be able to see that too" he bit out as he turned away from her and began to swim towards the others

Lori sniffled, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to pour from her eyes, the feeling of embarrassment and rejection strong within her. She genuinely just wanted to look out for him, as much as she loved him she never wanted to see him hurt but maybe she overstepped her boundaries. She looked over to the others watching the way that he looked at Michonne when she laughed, spoke or just stood there, it was like his whole world would stop, it was written all over his face and the possibility that she could never have that with him was a hard pill to swallow.

She exhaled sharply before putting on her best poker face, "Hey Michonne- you like to dance girl?" the young girl beamed out with a bright smile

He watched the way that she moved, so care free, so rhythmically…. so beautifully, she left him awestruck and whether he wanted to admit it or not this was so much more than an infatuation or the feeling of being intrigued, it was more than a simple like… he was forming an undeniable crush on Michonne. It was something he couldn't hide from or have any chill about… it was there, he knew it and he hoped that this wasn't something he was alone in.

The feeling of someone watching came over him, he looked over to see Glenn smiling as wide as a chestier cat at him, "You like her…" he bantered playfully at his friend

Rick frowned immediately as he cut his eyes at him, "I do not" he mumbled out as he took a drink from the plastic cup in his hand

"Dude I've known you since we were like two… you look at her the way Lori looks at you and we ALL know how Lori looks at you… so you don't have to act coy with me. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone… except for Maggie. I HAVE to tell Maggie" he chuckled out

"Glenn…" Rick growled out as he put the cup down onto the towel

"What?... she's my girlfriend I can't just not tell her this" he smiled out

"…don't move Glenn" he warned

" Dude -I tell her everything… I can't just not- she'll pin me down and do stuff to me until I tell her…" he deadpanned

"-Don't"

"You know how ticklish I am …plus the bro code doesn't exist when it comes to your girlfriend" he countered before quickly jumping up and running towards Maggie who was now chatting happily with Michonne and Lori

"-DAMN IT!... I am going to kick your ass Glenn… better yet I am going snap your glasses in two", he yelled after him as he stood up

"-oh come on dude" Glenn stopped abruptly looking back towards his best friend pleadingly, a mischievous grin crept across Rick's face as he stalked behind him, sheer terror plastered across Glenn's face as he ran past the girls with Rick right on his tail.

Their day at the lake was a good one, being able to introduce Michonne to everyone else and have everyone hang out and just chill was pretty awesome, they weren't just Rick's friend's anymore they were hers now as well.

The walk home was a pleasant one as the duo stood outside of Michonne's house in contentment, "I really like your friends Rick...Shane isn't as bad as I thought he would be. I'm looking forward to hanging out with Lori, Glenn and Maggie again" she smiled out softly as her brown eyes took him in

He nodded slowly, "Good… ya know I'm really happy that you said that cause' I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out with us for my birthday next week. It won't be nothing fancy just a night out over Lori's but her parents have a massive game room and I guess what I'm tryna' say is that it just don't seem fit to be there without you" he rasped out softly

"I would really like that Rick… it sounds fun" she responded with a smile

"Alright…" he smiled out before continuing, "…see you tomorrow?"

Michonne nodded, "-see you tomorrow" she responded softly before reaching her arms around him and bringing him into a tight hug, she let go quickly before waving goodbye to him shyly and making her way up the stairs and into her home. Rick stood there with his mouth agape and cheeks flushed red as his body still tingled from feeling her so close; she had lit a fire in him that he couldn't explain or deny. It was still unclear of what it all meant but what he did know was that he wanted more and he couldn't wait for the chance to get it.

 **-2016-**

"Knock...Knock" a husky voice greeted Rick from the threshold of his office door

"Hey...what's going on"

"Ain't shit…", Daryl responded as he walked into the office heading towards his partner's desk,

"…just booked the asshole that's been stealing Mrs. Niemeyer's laundry... sick fuck's got a thang for granny panties" the shaggy haired man spit out disgustingly as he handed his partner the criminal's file

Rick chuckled, "Thanks man" he responded as he grabbed the file from Daryl opening it up and scanning over the perp's long rap sheet of peeping, petty thefts and disorderly conduct

"No problem" he grunted out as he sat on the corner of Rick's desk; watching the way he tiredly ran his hand across his face, he could tell that something or better yet someone was troubling him

"How's my godson?" he asked in an attempt to probe him for some answers

"He's alright… still waiting for you and Paul to take him hunting" he grinned

"Tell him we got em' next weekend" he grinned back

"I will...he'll enjoy it for sure. I'm sure he would rather do that then hang out with his poor old daddy for his birthday"

"You're probably right…" he chuckled, "…What you got planned for the big 3-0?"

"I think Michonne may want to hang out, I ain't too sure about it yet"

"Sounds like some fun... something that you need desperately"

"Tell me about it…I've been so stressed out about this shit with Lori-"

"-still acting like the wicked witch of the south"

"It's so bad I can't even drop him off at her house, I do pick up's and drop offs at the Rouse's cause' I can't deal with her", he threw the folder down on his desk, his frustration evident

"Damn...I'm sorry man, I don't know much about divorces and ex-wives and shit but what I do know is that y'all need to talk whatever this shit is out. If y'all don't then this hostility and negativity is just going to remain and it ain't healthy for you or Carl because eventually he will feel it and the worst thing you can do is pull your son into an ongoing battle between y'all…the shit will taint him and he will despise either one of y'all or both" he said softly

Rick looked towards his co-worker; the man that had become one of his closest friends and allies in the short few years that he had known him and smiled knowingly. He met Daryl while in basic training at GPSTC (Georgia Public Safety Training Center) with Shane. They became pretty close after a stint on grunt work after a few trainer's undergarments found their way up some flag poles. He never imagined that the man of very few words would become such a major part of his life, that he would fill in so naturally one of the voids of a best friend, that had been empty for quite some time.

"You're right man… I'm going to make time for that conversation even if it drives me up a goddamn wall" he chuckled out dryly

"You'll be alright man…" he smirked out before continuing, "…bought to go grab me one of them doughnuts and a cup of joe…want sumthin ?"

"I'm good…thanks man", he responded appreciative of his best friend's kind words

"No problem bro" he grunted out as he stood up from the desk and made his way out of Rick's office, closing the door as he left. Rick reached down and pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his pants, unlocking it and tapping on the messages icon from the phone's home screen, wondering if Michonne had any plans tonight for dinner.

The door to Rick's office swung open suddenly, startling him a little as he looked up from his cell phone with a perplexed expression. His demeanor quickly changed when he laid eyes on his ex-wife, shutting the office door behind her as she stalked towards his desk, her long auburn hair slicked up into a high pony tail, it was evident she had just come from the gym or running errands because she wore a charcoal gray and pink track jacket with capris, running shoes and attitude to match.

"What are you doing here, Lori"? he questioned as he laid his phone down on the desk, making a mental note to respond back to Michonne's text after he dealt with her

The pale skinned beauty flung her black Michael Kors bag into one of the brown chairs that sat in front of his desk, removing her sunglasses and placing them on top of her purse; she sighed deeply as she looked towards the man that she once thought she had forever with, "So I had to hear from my son that you had a little family outing with HER?" she bit out

"Your son? -your son?...", Rick stood up from the desk and walked around it, stopping once face to face with her, "...he is OUR son and I have been waiting years for them to meet one another. It's funny that you're mad because he was around her when you ain't say shit when she was sending gift cards, clothes and necessities for him. I ain't say a damn thing when I found out that you were playing lil' house on the prairie with Shane and had Carl around the man you were screwing behind my back on a 24/7 basis...even though I wanted to punch his fucking teeth in. I didn't...I let it be...so you ain't got no right coming into here telling me who I can and cannot have around my son as well"

Lori scoffed, "Oh please Rick...the woman was back in town for less than 24 hours and you couldn't wait to parade them around like your prize family... making it seem to myself and others that I wasn't ever enough..."

"-What in the fuck are you even talking about?" he spat, anger filling his tone

"Oh you know what it is Rick...what it's always been when it came to her-"

"-You're trying to justify your fucking shit by bringing Michonne into this when it ain't about her"

"It's always about her! It's always been about HER…even throughout our marriage... it was her. Every day I saw the disappointment in your eyes of having to settle with me because she went off to school. The only reason you committed was because I got pregnant with Carl… you married me because I was convenient...because you had no other choice" she breathed out, her voice trembling with pain

"Lori that ain't true-"

"-IT IS!- and there was nothing that I could ever do to make you choose me", tears poured from her eyes at the revelation. It was a very hard pill to swallow but the truth always found a way to hurt. Her eyes searched his, a small part of her hoping for an inkling...an indication that she was wrong... that somehow she had misread every signal, intent and vibe she got from the time Michonne had walked into their lives all of those years ago but all that was received was unwavering confirmation as her first love stood in front of her with eyes full of tears and a heavy heart.

Rick sighed deeply as he ran his fingers through his thick curls, this truth was something still to this day he did not want to face. He loved Lori, he always would but she was right… she wasn't Michonne. She wasn't the woman that he carried in his soul, who dwelled in his heart and occupied his mind. "You're right..." he croaked out, his voice full of emotion, "I never wanted to hurt you… I ain't never want that...I loved you Lori, I thought that I could eventually just fall in love with you and give you all of me. That through her absence we could be what you wanted us to be. What you deserved- but truth is I was never gonna' be able to give you that. My heart wasn't in it and it's my fault that I led you on. That I ain't tell you that before you were vested...one minute we were dating, the next you we're pregnant and then we were married- it all happened so fast that I couldn't even wrap my head round' it, so I went through the motions hoping that it was enough… hoping that it would suffice but you wanted more... more from me that I couldn't give. So I did what I knew best- worked…. worked my fingers to the bone so that I could provide for you and Carl... so ya'll wouldn't want for nothing, Carl was fine but you needed more than that, a love, an intimacy that I couldn't bring myself to give. As much as it gutted me that you started screwing my best friend… I get it and I'm sorry for my part in pushing you his way… I'm sorry that I couldn't give you what you wanted- you never deserved that and I get that now", the revelation fell from his lips, openly and honestly. The feeling of a weight being lifted from his shoulders immediately evident.

"Thank you…" she breathed out as she wiped away the tears that streamed down her face, "…I knew all of this a long time ago but I needed to hear it from you…. I needed that closure... that truth and I thank you for giving me that, it's been a long time coming. You're a good man Rick and I want you happy even if it will never be with me...if Michonne is who you want. I respect it and I wish you all nothing but the best" she sniffled out as she used the sleeve from her track jacket to wipe her eyes and running nose

Rick closed the gap between them as he reached for her hand, bringing it into his as he grazed the back of it with his thumb, "She is- Thank you Lori" he responded earnestly, bringing her hand to his lips and planting a soft goodbye kiss to it before letting go

Lori looked at her ex-husband, finally feeling at peace, her eyes no longer bitter as she did something she hadn't done for years to him; smiled…before grabbing her purse out of the black arm chair and heading towards his office door, she grabbed the door knob, turning back towards him, "Bye Rick"

"Bye Lori..." he responded softly as she smiled towards him once more and exited the office. Rick exhaled sharply as he used the white tee from under his uniform shirt to clean off his face before heading around his desk and falling hard into the black leather chair, his emotions exhausted but his mind only on one person. He picked up his cell phone from off of the desk, swiping it unlocked with his thumb as he went straight to the recent call list and dialed Michonne's number; needing a sense of peace that only she could bring.

-SD

A/N: I am so sorry this took me so long to update guys, I changed shifts at work and got sick on top of that so I was out of commison for a little while. I can promise that will not happen again. I was actually writing chapter 6 while writing this, so expect that to be out very very soon. This one is somewhat of a filler… I wanted you guys to get a little background of the animosity between Lori & Rick. You guys can expect a lot of tears and even more shit to hit the fan the next chappie. As always thank you all so much for the continued love and support. It means everything and more to me. Peace, Blessings & Love my sunflower's


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"...the anger is eating me alive"

 **-1998-**

 _ **I was a pauper, fickle and bruised…**_

"I'm really excited for today... I thought being the new girl in town that I would be nervous but I'm not. It feels kind of cool knowing that all eyes will be on me when we walk into school" she beamed as she looked towards her best friend with a wild smile. His furrowed brow and down casted eyes proved that his attention and mind were elsewhere.

"Rick?" she said softly, reaching over to touch his shoulder gently

His head snapped up instantly at her touch, his eyes drifting over to hers, "I'm sorry?" he questioned, not hearing her previous statement

"Hey...are you okay?" she asked softly as she stopped in her tracks, concern heavy in her tone as her eyes roamed over his face

He sighed heavily, the last thing he wanted to do was worry her, in recent weeks she had become his confidant, his peace, his crutch in a sense and he didn't want to continue to boggle her down with his shit. He cared about her too much to give her his load to carry, so he did what he knew best… kept it to himself, "I'm okay Mickz...just dreading going into this shithole, I guess as long as I have you with me then it'll be alright" he smirked out, his pools of blue bright and soft yet laced with pain

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips at the sound of him calling her Mickz, the pet name he had affectionately started calling her a few weeks back. Every time Rick heard her giggle it brought him an indescribable giddiness, it was always so reminiscent to his favorite cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. It was infectious yet heartwarming and always brought a smile to his face, as well as hers.

She quickly wiped away the smile that he had brought on, ensuring that he was genuinely okay was more important than anything in the world at the moment, "Your dad again?" she asked in almost a whisper, wanting to probe just a little more for answers

Rick scoffed, not wanting to even acknowledge the man as his parent. The past five months proving the man's inadequacy as a widower and single parent, the already quiet man shut down completely, he knew that he needed time to grieve, time to really deal with his mother's death but Ritchie Sr. couldn't look or better yet speak to him. He couldn't even acknowledge his existence and that pissed Rick off, being ignored...being abandoned was something he would not lay down and take from anyone.

Michonne sighed, knowing that scoff all too well "I can't say that I know how you feel, having a parent turn their back on you when you need them the most is devastating for sure but I'm positive things will be okay. That it'll come full circle...one way or another" she assured through a comforting smile

Rick nodded, "Alright" he bit out, not wanting to dwell in the conversation any longer. He pushed up the strap of his black Jansport backpack, wanting the one shoulder strap to sit more comfortably on his shoulder blade as he squinted his eyes looking towards the school and the hundreds of students swarming into it. His gaze traveled back over to Michonne, who as always looked absolutely beautiful this morning, knowing how fashionable she was… he knew that bar none she would turn some heads, including his. He looked her up and down taking in the olive-green tee shirt dress with a black bomber jacket worn, 14k gold round bamboo earrings, bangles, a light denim back pack covered in an array of patches ranging from smiley faces, flowers, aliens and a few of her favorite cartoon characters and band logos ironed onto it and a pair of white and black low cut Adidas sneakers completed the look. Her hair was styled with the top half in a bun and the remainder down sweeping her shoulders gracefully; she was always a sight to behold.

"You look really nice today Mickz… it ain't like I'm surprised about that or nothing" he blushed out as they continued walking towards the side of the school building

She felt her cheeks flush at the compliment, "Thanks... you look really nice too" she gushed out as her eyes roamed over the handsome young man. She thought he looked extra cute today wearing his oversized black, red and white flannel shirt that hung open exposing his white tee shirt under it, his slim cut light blue jeans folded up at the ankle, exposing his high-top converse sneakers with his back pack hanging off of one of his shoulders coolly. She smirked to herself as they continued towards their destination she could tell by how many people stopped to wave at him or chat him up as they made their way through the crowd that he was a pretty big deal amongst his peers

Rick and Michonne approached the other teens that loitered on the middle steps of the school building's entrance, laughing and joking per usual. They seemed in high spirits despite today being the first day of a very long school year, even if they weren't feeling it they most definitely looked the part. Maggie wore a white lace dress that stopped at her knees with a blue denim jacket and camel colored booties, Glenn wore a burgundy relaxed fit t-shirt hoodie with a pair of indigo blue straight leg jeans and white and black old skool low cut vans. Lori wore a semi cropped white halter top with a pair of high-waisted floral shorts and white jelly sandals, Shane wore a white t shirt with a white and blue varsity jacket with loose fitting blue jeans, white/gray Supra Vaiders and a blue fitted hat.

"Oh shit now...look at Bonnie and Clyde coming to fuck shit up today" the crass Shane belted out loudly at the others as Rick and Michonne approached

"Hey...", the duo greeted everyone with as their friends showered them with hugs, dap up's and sweet hello's before going back to look over their schedule's

"What classes you got today 'Chonne?" Maggie asked excitedly

Michonne rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper that had come in the mail a week prior, of her class schedule. She handed it to Maggie so that she could compare the schedules,

"Okay… we share all of our A-days together and on B-days we have period 1 together only, damn AP classes. You and Glenn have the same B-day schedule at least" she huffed out as she handed the paper back to Michonne with a sweet smile.

Michonne smiled back sweetly as she looked towards Rick, "What's yours?"

Rick reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out the schedule and handing it over to his friend, who smiled brightly as she looked over his classes for the day.

"What you smiling about?" he asked curiously

"Oh nothing" she responded with a wide smile

"It ain't ever nothing with you…we in all the same classes or sumthin'?" he questioned, looking forward to the long days ahead

"You're just going to have to wait and see wont ya" she bantered

Rick chuckled, snatching his schedule back from her playfully as she laughed in response, they went on to compare their schedules with their friends. Shane and Lori shared all of their A-day classes together and Period 2 and 4 on B-days, Maggie and Glenn shared all of their A-day classes and none on B-days, like him and Michonne. Rick shared A-day classes with Maggie, Glenn and Michonne and on B-days he shared all of his classes with Shane, Lori, and Maggie, only two with Glenn and Michonne. Michonne shared all of her A-day classes with Rick, Glenn and Maggie and on B-days she was with Glenn for all of her classes, Rick and her only shared two.

The first bell of the day rang out, signaling it was time to head inside and go to their lockers to prepare for Period 1. The teens climbed the stairs, heading into the large doors of the school as they continued to chat, slowly they began to disperse towards their locker sections, Lori in section 2 on the west side of the building, Maggie and Michonne in section 1 on the east side of the building and Rick, Shane and Glenn in section 3 on the north side of the building.

"Aye I'll catch up with you two in a minute" he informed Glenn and Shane, who nodded and continued towards their lockers. He walked in the direction he saw Maggie and Michonne go, wanting to know exactly where Michonne's locker was. He continued down the hall stopping once he spotted the two girls, "Hey" he called out to her softly.

Michonne looked towards him with a smile, "What's up?"

"I-um just wanted to know where your locker was, so that maybe I could walk you to and from classes on both days. If that's okay with you?" he asked, his eyes piercing into hers as he waited for a response

"I would like that" she responded happily as she shyly bit at her lip

Rick nodded in response, "Alright… meet you back here in 5… okay?"

"Okay" she responded softly as she watched him smile brightly and run towards the direction of his section of lockers. Michonne shook her head gently, with Rick being this cute on the first day, she wasn't sure how she would be able to get through the whole school year with him. She chuckled to herself at the thought of him before turning back towards Maggie, who stood there with a raised eyebrow and folded arms.

"What?" she asked gingerly

"Mhmm… your cheeks grow anymore flush we gonna have to call plumber Rick to get them undone" Maggie responded with a smirk before going back to putting her things into her locker.

"Oh stop" Michonne chided her with a smile as she closed the door to her locker and turned around, her cheeks immediately growing flush again at the sight of Rick and Glenn walking back in their direction, once together again, they headed towards their first class of the day Mr. Jenner's Chemistry and Earth Science class.

The next morning Michonne stood in front of her bedroom mirror, piling her locs into a high bun in a rush, she only had about five minutes before she had to meet Rick out front to walk the short few miles to school. A sudden knock at her door caught her attention, "Come in" she responded softly, her brows furrowed in concentration

The door opened gently, a tall handsome man with the most beautiful dark mahogany skin, jet black hair and beard appeared on the other side; resembling the actor Dennis Haysbert, "Hey baby" her father greeted with a warm smile as he approached his daughter, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her into a tight hug

"Hi daddy" Michonne beamed through a girlish smile as she finished her hair

"You look beautiful today" he complimented his absolutely gorgeous daughter as he sat down on the end of her bed

"Thank you" she blushed out as she hurriedly put the finishing touches on her look

"Stop that for a minute baby...I need to talk to you really quick...it will only take a second" he assured when he saw the look of impatience flash across her face

"Okay" she responded cautiously as she turned to face him

"Who's this boy your mother tells me that you have been walking to school with?"

"Oh that's my friend Rick" she beamed out

"Friend? hmm... do you hang out with others or just him?" he probed

"Oh no it's a group of us that hang out...they are really sweet"

"Keep it that way Michonne...I don't want you around that boy or any boy alone for that matter. You are still new here and I don't want any of these 'people' to take advantage of you" he informed in a serious tone

Michonne took notice of the way her father bit out people, she was unsure of what he meant. Rick and the others were super sweet, especially Rick he had always been a perfect gentleman with her, even when she was an asshole to him when they first met. She couldn't put a finger on it but she knew that his intent ran deeper than just wanting to look out for her, "Okay" she responded not wanting to cause any discourse with her father and also to end the conversation so that she wouldn't be late

"Okay...I love you Minca" he smiled out as he stood up from the bed

"I love you too daddy", she responded softly, hugging him once more before watching him leave the room

Michonne shook her head a mix of confusion and annoyance creeping around her, she wasn't sure what the deal with her father was but she was not going to allow his negativity to ruin her day and the upcoming weekend with Rick and their friends. She looked over her shoulder at the clock on her night stand, 8:00am.

"Shit!", Michonne hissed to herself as she grabbed her backpack and denim jacket from the back of the closet door and bolted out of her room and down the stairs, heading straight out of the front door to meet Rick, who stood patiently outside of the fence for her. She locked the fence behind her as she approached him, he looked in better spirits then the day prior and that made her very happy to see. They greeted another with a warm smile before starting the 10-minute trek down the road to school.

The day was a good one, Michonne quickly became accustomed to her B-day classes and teachers, she was already excited for the coursework ahead. Being able to see Rick in her fourth period class was an added bonus, even though they shared all of their classes on A-days...her honor courses cut in on the time they were able to spend together. She loved the challenge of advanced placement classes but she found herself missing him more throughout the day. The rest of the week seemed like a blur, before she knew it Saturday morning was here and it was officially Rick's birthday.

Michonne fidgeted with her fingers nervously, her eyes darting around their surroundings as they drove down Hilltop Lane. The sea of huge colonial houses surrounding them left her a bit unnerved, the neighborhood was extremely beautiful with its lush green lawns, neatly trimmed hedges and massive iron gates encasing the mansions. She knew Lori's family came from money but she didn't realize they were balling like this. The car stopping suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts, she looked towards her mother Shelia who's eyes roamed over the white mansion they were stopped in front of, she nodded her head slowly, pretty impressed by their surroundings as the nest of long locs that were piled on top of her head in a messy bun bounced up and down as well, "Welp kid...it doesn't look like we're in Kansas anymore" she chuckled out with a snort. Michonne chuckled with her mother, she always loved how light hearted and goofy the woman was, her sense of humor was always a breath of fresh air and had been ever since she was little. It was one of the many things she got from her mother including her looks... she was the splitting image of the woman.

The gates to the home opened, they continued through them as they made their way around the circular drive way towards the front of the home, her mother made a complete stop before turning off the ignition and removing the keys from the silver 1998 BMW 540i, she took off her seatbelt and turned towards the backseat to unbuckle the car seat Noah was in before draping the sleeping toddler across her shoulder, "Come on baby..." her mother urged sweetly as she grabbed the door handle, beginning to exit the vehicle

"I'm coming Mama" she responded as she removed her seat belt carefully, not wanting to damage the royal blue gift bag that rested on her lap before she opened the car door and exited the vehicle as well.

Michonne did a quick look over herself in the passenger seat window, she looked incredibly cute and casual in the black striped scoop neck short-sleeved crop top that was tucked into a pair of high-waisted stone wash indigo blue boyfriend jeans worn, black high top Chuck Taylor's and a pair of Mickey Mouse stud earrings finished off the look. Michonne and her mother began walking up the stairs towards the front door before Shelia rang the doorbell she looked towards her daughter with a warm smile, "I want you to have fun baby...enjoy this. If the weather gets bad me or daddy will come get you...okay?"

"I will and yes mam" she nodded in response

"Okay", her mother rang the doorbell, pushing Noah further up on her shoulder as they waited patiently.

The door opened a few seconds later...a brunette woman appeared wearing a bright smile, "You must be Mrs. Robinson" she greeted sweetly as she extended her hand for a handshake

"Yes I am...", Shelia responded as she accepted the handshake,"...you can call

me Shelia... it's nice to finally meet your Mrs. Rouse. You have a beautiful home." she responded through a bright smile

"Thank you and the pleasure is all mine...You can call me Barbara...this beauty must be Michonne" she smiled out

"Yes Mam...it's nice to meet you" Michonne blushed out

Barbara smiled warmly, "You as well sweetie and who is this here beautiful boy" she gushed it as she gently rubbed Noah's back

"This is Noah..." Shelia beamed

"My Oh My-you have beautiful children Shelia...would you like to come in?"

"Thank you and I have to regrettably decline your offer...Maybe next time though"

"Oh must certainly" she smiled

"Here is my business card- I can be reached at my house number or beeper number in case of an emergency or if me or her father is needed" she handed the card to Barbara

"Not a problem at all but I'm sure all will be well"

"Okay..." Shelia breathed out shakily, she was a bit nervous leaving her only daughter with folks she had never been acquainted with before. They had only been in town for three months and even though Barbara seemed like good folks she was still protective about her child; she wouldn't allow anyone or anything to hurt her. She turned towards Michonne and pulled her into a hug, "Have fun baby and mind your manners...you hear me?"

"Yes mam" she responded with a smile before they pulled away

"Alright...I love you shug" she sniffled out through a smile

"I love you too Mama" she responded as she stepped over the threshold and into the house

"I'll take care of her" Barbara assured to Shelia, who nodded in response and waved goodbye to her daughter before heading towards the car to head home

"Alright my dear... We are going to have fun... I have Stanley whipping up some milkshakes for us...What's your favorite?"

"Strawberry" she responded softly as her eyes darted around the massive home, it was a thing of beauty. It was filled to its brim with the finest crystal and white marble as different shades of gold, cream and bronzes adorned the vicinity, it was truly a sight to behold

"Strawberry it is...Stanley whip up a strawberry shake for Ms. Michonne here and bring it down to the basement when it's finished"

"Yes mam" the butler responded as he began working on Michonne's drink

"The others are down in the game room...I'll have him bring it down to you at once...it's the first door to the left" she pointed towards the opened door to the left of the kitchen

"Okay...Thank you Mrs. Rouse" she smiled out again before heading towards the door, taking the time to continue to marvel at the beauty of the house. As soon as she reached the door she could hear music playing and her friends laughing and joking around, she smiled to herself at the fact Shane was always the loudest one, she quickly ran her fingers through her locs, ensuring they were in place before heading down the stairs to meet the others.

Michonne walked into the double glass doors of the game room, giggling to herself at the sight of Rick sitting on top of the pool table in a red birthday hat with blue frills around the mouth of it, she walked quietly into the room heading towards him, the others preoccupied in a game of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega: Genesis.

She leaned forward, ensuring that her body didn't touch his, she brought her lips inches away from his ear and whispered, "Happy Birthday Rick"

Rick whipped his head around in the direction the voice came from, his once furrowed brow immediately fell and a wild smile took its place when he saw it was Michonne. The person he had been impatiently waiting for since him and Shane arrived over the night prior. He jumped down from off of the table, moving closer to Michonne. Once in front of her, he reached forward bringing her into a tight hug, "Hey...I've been waiting on you" he practically gushed out

Michonne's cheeks grew flush at the revelation, the fact that he had been counting down the seconds until they were back together just like she had been, left a warm fuzzy feeling inside of her. She bit down on her lip bashfully as they pulled away from the hug, "Me too" she revealed softly through a blush as she gazed at him, Rick smiled brightly as he did the same.

"Hey girl!" Maggie greeted as she made her way towards her friend, prompting all of their other friends to follow

The duo broke their gaze, Rick stepping back to allow for the others to greet her with hugs and warmth as well. He watched as she smiled and laughed with Shane, Maggie, Glenn and Lori, he found himself staring at her again something he did a lot more as of lately, he couldn't help but get lost in her. Michonne could feel the intensity of his stare from the few feet away and it left her feeling a little demure, it was something about his gaze, it wasn't gawking or creepy, instead it was warm and inviting, almost as if love just lived within those eyes, she couldn't put it into words but she did know that he made it a little hard not to get stuck in those pools of baby blue's.

She walked back towards him, playfully nudging him with her elbow. He smiled shyly in response as she did as well, "I-um got this for you...I hope you like it" she announced softly as she handed the medium sized gift bag to Rick

"Oh now Mickz… you ain't have to go and buy me nothing", he blushed out as he looked between her and the gift

"It's your birthday kid and you deserve it...so no worries..." she assured through a smile, "...just hurry up and open it" she urged eagerly

"Alright...Alright" Rick responded as he reached into the bag, moving the tissue paper around as he fished for what was inside, feeling a box at the bottom… he pulled it out, handing the bag to Michonne who had her arm outstretched for it. He ran his fingers over the black box wondering what the contents were inside before he removed the top of the gift box revealing a gold dog tag necklace.

"Wow Mickz, it's beautiful...you ain't have to spend all this on me" he breathed out as he lifted the necklace out of the box, he found himself a bit taken back by the expensive gift

"Oh hush...it didn't cost that much. Just an allowance or two..." she chuckled, "Come here so I can put it on you" she smiled out. Rick nodded as he turned towards her, Michonne placed the gift bag on the pool table, taking the necklace from Rick she guided it over the hat and his head, allowing it to fall freely around his neck, the tags resting on his chest. She ran her fingers along his blue bomber jacket and smiled, "It looks good on you"

"Thank you..." he blushed out as he ran his fingers along the tags, "Come on Lori has Killer Instinct over there and I do believe that you have a high score to try and beat" he smiled out as he took of the birthday hat

"Yeah right...I can beat you with my eyes closed kid. You might have gotten the upper hand in Killer Instinct but you couldn't touch me on Samurai Showdown 2" she bantered back

"Yeah...yeah come put your money where your mouth is" he giggled out as they walked over to the arcade game, trash talking the other the entire time.

That was pretty much how they spent the day, laughing, joking, playing video or arcade games, watching movies drinking milkshakes and eating pizza with wings. It was a pretty dope day being able to spend the day with those he cared about the most; Rick couldn't have asked for a better day.

The sudden sound of thunder rumbling through the sky startled the teens, Lori stood up and walked towards the window, the once sunny sky quickly turning a gradient of grays.

"Looks like a storm is coming guys...this might turn into a slumber party" she responded through pursed lips

Rick looked towards Michonne who was studying the beeper that was attached to the belt loop of her jeans

"Lori? Can I use your phone please?" she muttered out quickly, her eyes never leaving the device as she stood up

"Yeah sure" the brunette replied as she walked across the room to grab the cordless phone from the wall

Michonne began to walk towards her before she was stopped by a gentle touch to her wrist, "Everything alright?" Rick asked worriedly

"I'm not sure" she breathed out as she looked towards him and then back towards the alert coming through. She walked hurriedly around the couch and towards Lori.

Michonne thanked Lori for the phone and quickly dialed her mother's mobile phone number. Her mother answered it on the second ring

"Hello", Shelia breathed into the phone

"Hey Mommy… it's me" she responded into the phone

"Thank goodness you called me back shug, a really bad storm is rolling in and me and your daddy is stuck down in Atlanta at the jailhouse…Cousin Bob hasn't gotten his stupid ass arrested again for lewd conduct. This is his third strike I don't think daddy will be able to get him out again, he is going to have to go to rehab and then to AA, if they choose to be lenient. So, you're going to have to head home, I've already spoken to Barbara. She called me once she got news on this storm and she is going to have her husband David drop you off at home for us...I'm sorry to cut your day short but I just want you home where I know you will be safe...okay?"

"Okay mama...I understand" she replied softly

"Okay shug, I love you"

"I love you too Mama", Michonne ended the call and put the phone back on the receiver, sighing deeply as she walked back towards her friends pensively

"Hey guys...I have to head home. My Mama said a storm is coming and she doesn't want me out in it. Mr. David is waiting for me upstairs" she informed them, disappointment heavy in her tone as everyone came over to hug and say their goodbyes to her. Michonne looked towards Rick, her eyes filled with an indescribable sadness; his carrying the same emotion. She knew that if she hugged him she would cry, their day being brought to a close so early on his day hurt her more than words could describe, so she waved goodbye to him from the other side of the couch, he looked on sadly as he reciprocated the gesture. Michonne turned on her heel as she began walking out of the room towards the hallway

"Michonne!" Rick shouted as he ran towards her with his gift bag and night bag in tow, she stopped abruptly looking back towards him, puzzled. "If you're going I'm going… It wouldn't feel right being here and your leaving" he explained

"But-it's your birthday Rick… go have fun with the others. I don't want to ruin your day" she responded

"You could never ruin my day. I love the gang but it just wouldn't feel right without you here. Plus, I want to be close to you since you will be home by yourself, just in case anything happens" he continued with a small smile

"Okay" she responded softly as he walked towards her, taking her hand into his own. Together they headed up the stairs and out of the house, saying goodbye to Lori's mother and the staff as they walked out of the house. David sat in a black Mercedes Benz 500e waiting patiently for them, the duo ran towards the car and got in, they broke from the handhold long enough to put on their seatbelts, once done they took a hold of the other's hand again.

David turned and looked into the backseat at the teens, he smirked, taking note of the handhold, "Alright now… let's get you kids home before this storm rolls in" he smiled out as he adjusted the clutch to drive and pulled away from the house as small droplets of rain began to fall…

 _ **Wishing I could atomize these lonely lunar views**_

He stood there; his heart feeling as though it would pound out of his chest at any minute, her beautiful orbs of burnt amber staring back at him, sweetly. If only she knew the moves that she had put on his heart. Today had been a good day...despite having to depart from the other's early it still was a beautiful one. Since she had come into his life almost three months ago she had brought with her a lot of those days and today was no exception, she had made his 15th birthday a remarkable one.

Rick smiled to himself as they stood outside of Michonne's front door, he watched as she tucked a stray loc behind her ear before locking eyes with him again

"I don't think I had a birthday this good in a long while...I really like the gift you got me" he practically gushed out as he ran his fingers along the gold dog tag necklace that encased the initials to their first names on both sides

"Really? I wasn't sure if you would like it or not. I didn't take you as a necklace type of guy but when I saw it I thought of you so I had to get" she chuckled out as she bit her lip cheekily

"Well I'm happy you did...I ain't ever gonna take it off" he responded softly as he locked eyes with her

Michonne chuckled to herself, feeling that warm fuzziness under his intense stare again, she stepped closer to Rick, so close that she could have taken the breath he was holding if she wanted to. She leaned into him, invading his space as she placed a gentle kiss on his right cheek sweetly, "I hope not" she replied in almost a whisper as she drew back

Rick could feel his whole-body tingling as he stood there trying to recollect himself, he didn't want to look a damn fool in front of her but fuck it was hard not to bust a move after the gift she just bestowed upon him, that kiss quickly replacing that necklace as the best gift ever. He sighed lowly, trying to release some of the butterflies that were swarming in his tummy, "Thank you" was all the he could muster up through a soft smile

Michonne nodded bashfully, "Call me when you get in?"

"You already know I was planning too..." he cheeked out,"...thanks again for everything Mickz"

"You're welcome" she beamed out as they pulled one another into a tight hug and headed into their retrospective houses.

Rick felt as if he was walking on cloud nine as he made his way over to the kitchen, humming happily to himself. He opened the refrigerator door scanning over the selections before settling on a fruit punch Gatorade to temporarily quench his ever-growing thirst. He unscrewed the cap off of the sport's drink and took a big gulp from it, the sound of heavy footsteps prompted him to look towards the living room.

"It's damn near 10' o clock...where the hell have you been?" a voice rasped out to him

"-out" Rick bit out in response

"Out where?" the elder practically growled out as he walked around the divider to make his presence known

"...", Rick peered at the man, not in the mood to justify his delinquency with a statement, when he was the one who failed to remember his own son's birthday

"Where have you been?" he asked again, growing impatient with his son's attitude

"..."

"I am talking to you" his father spat

"Oh now you want to talk to me" Rick scoffed to himself as he closed the door to the refrigerator

"I am talking to YOU...don't you ever in your goddamned life disrespect ME... I am your father" he barked loudly as he inched closer to his son

"Fuck you!..." Rick spat angrily at the man, "...when she died, apart of you died with her. You can barely look at me...you haven't said more than two words to me since we buried her so don't come in my fucking face talking about you're my father because that don't mean shit to me"

"What did you say to me boy..." an angry Ritchie Sr. reprimanded through clenched teeth

Rick chuckled to himself, entirely done with the conversation and failing to be in the mood to justify his father's question with an answer; he began to walk away from his elder, heading towards the front door. Before he could make it, Ritchie Sr. grabbed him by his arm, pulling the teenager back towards him. Rick pulled away from him roughly continuing towards the front door. The already angry man was now full blown enraged as he rushed up behind his son, grabbing the back of his jacket to drag him back towards him. Using his whole-body Rick jerked forward, freeing himself from his father's grip and out of the navy-blue bomber jacket worn. His father threw the jacket down onto the floor as he began to stalk towards him; his son's defiance causing his blood to boil. He lunged forward aggressively, this cat and mouse game finally sending him over the edge. In the blink of an eye Rick's fist connected with his father's nose, a loud THWACK! echoed in the room as his father went crashing down to the floor, knocking over the lamp as he fell. He yelped in pain as he held both hands over his nose. Rick stood there; his fist still bawled as blood from his father's nose cascaded down it, his chest rose and fell heavily as he awaited his father's next move. Nothing, he peered down towards his father ready for round two, instead he was met with eyes full of shame, disappointment and fear staring back at him as blood poured from the man's face. Rick looked down at his bloodstained fist, he un-bawled it quickly as the weight of what he just did began to sink in. Tears began to fill his eyes, "I-I-I.." was all the he could croak out before running out of the front door in sheer panic.

 _ **But with thorns in my ankles  
And rocks in my shoes**_

The night sky was dark and vengeful as the heavy droplets of rain fell angrily, the wind whipping in an agonizing frenzy. The droplets feeling like liquid metal as they ran down his bare forearms, his hair and white t-shirt soaked as tears poured from his eyes. He walked swiftly around the back of his house; his hands stuffed in his jean pockets as he breathed heavily. He effortlessly jumped across the fence that separated his and Michonne's home, he speedily walked towards the rose trellis that was nestled under her bedroom window; stopping long enough to ensure her bedroom light was still on. Rick placed his right foot in one of the trellises gaps, reaching a few inches over the top of his head to grip one of its bars, using his full body weight to pull himself up...he began climbing the wooden post, ensuring the he didn't step on any of her mother's roses in the process.

Once at the top he gently tapped on her window pane with the back of his knuckles, startling the young girl as she looked from across the room in confusion, "Rick?" she asked, once recognizing him she hurriedly rushed over to the window to unlock it and slide it up

"Rick?... Rick?- Are you okay? What's going on?... What happened to you?" she questioned worriedly, taking note of his disheveled appearance as she looped her arm into his, helping him through the window and into her room. Shutting the window behind him, she stood back from him, shaking away some of the excess water that was on her hands and now wet shirt. He stood there motionless, his back slumped over as a mixture of tears and rain droplets streamed down his face. Michonne huffed to herself as she made her way to the linen closet that was on the other side of the room, she grabbed a fresh towel out, unfolding it as she made her way back across the room to him. She wrapped the towel around his body, her eyes heavy with worry as she waited for him to speak.

"It's everywhere I go...everything that I see" he spoke out in almost a whisper, his body shivering slightly from the coolness of his dampened clothes

"Rick-what do you mean?... What happened...tell me?" she urged

"It made me hit him Michonne... it made me" he responded

"You hit him?... Who did you hit... your daddy? You hit your father? " she asked softly, finally taking note of his blood-stained fist

He responded with a slow head nod before looking away from her; afraid to see the monster that he was becoming in her eyes.

"Talk to me...tell me what happened" she insisted as she moved closer to him

"Once I got in after leaving you..." he gulped before continuing,"...I had gone home of course and was just minding my business. It hadn't bothered me all day that he ain't said nothing about my birthday or nothing for the matter but it wasn't until I looked him dead in his face that I truly realized that he ain't even remember today was his only child's 15th birthday and didn't care to. Then the fact that he wanted to question me about where I was...that ticked me off. The fact that we haven't spoken in weeks is one thing but for you to care so little about me that you can't even remember my fucking birthday..."he spat out, anger strong in his tone, "...so we got into it, guess he ain't like what I had to say cause' he starts telling me he's my daddy and I'm suppose to respect him and a whole lotta' crock of shit. So, I just walk away cause' I feel it building... I could see it all around me and then he grabs me up and then charges at me and I fucking lost it. I punched him in the face, hard. He falls back and it took everything in me not to beat his fucking face in so bad that he would swallow his fucking teeth" he shouted, grabbing the towel from off his shoulders and twisting at it angrily, "I fucking hate him Michonne..." he vented through gritted teeth, "...all I ever had is gone and I can't bring her back...the fact that I can't bring her back makes me so fucking mad. The fact that I need her and I ain't got her...infuriates me" his voice trembling as he spoke, fresh tears tracing over the dried ones, "This anger Michonne, this-this deep despise of the world...despise of him is gnawing at me. All I see is red... red... red-the ANGER is eating me alive and I don't know how to save myself from it. I don't know what I did...why the universe hated me so much that it took her away from me" he sobbed out as he fell to his knees. Michonne falling with him… she cradled him in her arms as he cried into the crook of her neck.

There were no words that she could say to comfort him in this moment, he was hurt...he was hurting and it was nothing that she could say that could take away his pain. He was her best friend and seeing him like this hurt her to her soul.

"You may not see it now but you will come back from this. One day you will look back on this day and feel peace, not hurt, anger or sadness. I'm sorry he forgot your birthday...I'm sorry that your mother isn't here when you need her but you have me. You will always have me and I need you to know this Rick... I need you to understand this Rick, anger makes you stupid and stupid can get your hurt or worse killed and I am not okay with that. I will not lose my best friend...I can't lose you so I need you to get it out. Whether you have to cry it out, eat it out, hug it out or whatever else we need to do because I need you to be okay. I need you, Rick and you need me" her words were so strong yet so soft, they carried such power and conviction to them.

He lifted his head from her shoulder, studying her beautiful face as she smiled softly towards him, her beautiful brown eyes filled with so much kindness. Michonne wiped away his tears, her soft finger tips bringing him a much-needed sense of solace and peace. He closed his eyes, reveling in her touch

"Thank you", he rasped out

"It's no problem, come on let's get you out of these wet clothes..." she urged as she stood up from the wooden floor, holding her hand out for Rick to take, he did, "...I think I may have something you can fit" she continued through a soft smile as she helped pull him up from the floor. She walked towards her bedroom door, opening it up as she walked out of the room, a few minutes later she reappeared with a dark blue Champion sweatshirt and black sweatpants, "This should fit pretty good...it's been ages since my dad has been able to wear it..." she chuckled out, "...the bathroom is right there" she responded softly as she pointed towards the door in front of her bed. Rick nodded in response as he walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Michonne huffed as she pulled the black Biggie t-shirt she worn over her head and threw it in her laundry hamper, she opened up the bottom drawer to her dresser taking out a heather gray Nike crew neck sweatshirt and black Nike sweatpants and slide them on, she closed the drawer with her foot as she opened up the top drawer, taking out two sets of socks and closing the drawer with her hip. She walked towards the bed, sitting on the edge of it she put on a pair and laid the other on the bed for Rick. She stood up, strolling over to her bedroom door and locking it, the last thing she needed was getting caught with a boy in her room when her parents returned later the next day before walking back towards her bed and taking a seat on it.

The bathroom door opened slowly, Rick appearing somberly as he wore the perfect fitting sweatshirt and pants, he looked towards her, "I hope it's okay that I hung mine up to dry"

"Of course… It's fine, Rick" she responded softly as she nodded her head in approval, shyness overtaking her all of a sudden

Rick nodded shyly as he ran his fingers through his wet curls; unsure of what to do next. This was his first time being alone with a girl and not just any girl at that but Michonne...his Michonne. The teenager approached the bed cautiously, fiddling nervously with his fingers as he did so.

Michonne studied him as he sat down next to her on the bed, taking notice of how puffy and red his eyes were from crying, the tiny droplets of water that fell from his wet curls, how his breathing had finally evened out; he was okay. He was going to be okay and that's all that she could have wanted more in that moment.

"These are for you...I hope they fit your big ass feet" she snickered out as she handed him the socks

"Yeahhhh thanks for the reminder", he chuckled out softly as he put them on, sitting back up once done

Michonne gently placed her hand on top of his, their eyes locked on one another, "Let's try to get some rest... okay?" she urged sweetly, her eyes never leaving him

Rick nodded the weight of the world still heavy on his shoulders. He knew that healing wouldn't happen overnight, that through time he would be able to see the light at the end of the very dark tunnel but what he did know was that he had Michonne and that would make this process a hell of a lot easier.

Michonne scooted towards the back of the bed allowing for Rick to take the spot in front of her, once he laid down she reached over him, switching off the silver lamp. She wrapped her left arm around his torso before nestling up against his back, laying her head on his shoulder

"Tell me about her?" She asked softly, her minty breath tickling his ear coolly

"She was one of the most beautiful women that I'd ever laid eyes on... I'll always remember the way her brown eyes would sparkle anytime she laughed or smiled, sumthin' she did often. She was always so happy; I remember whenever I was sad she would sing "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd to me till' I fell asleep or she would turn on the radio and we would dance for hours. She was an amazing dancer, sometimes I would think she was an angel, the way she practically glided across the room, she was a sight to witness. She always knew how to make me laugh, those belly busting laughs... same ones you do. She was so much more to me then my mother...she was my first friend and I miss her so much" his voice cracked as he broke down crying

Michonne tightened her arm around him, bringing him as close as possible into her. She wanted him to feel that she was there, that she would always be no matter what. In that moment, she decided that nothing or no one could ever take him from her, that nothing in the world could tear her away from him, by his side was where she belonged and wanted to be. Michonne rubbed his back soothingly, allowing him to cry...allowing him to release all of the pain, anger, heartache and disappointment he was feeling, allowing him the chance to properly grief, so with that she comforted him knowing that even the darkest of nights would end and the sun would rise once again; so, she remained there enveloping him in her love until slumber was found.

 _ **I weather through**_

-SD

 _ **A/N:**_ This took longer than expected but I am happy that it is finally finished... 8k words _whew._ It took some time but I'm sooo happy to be able present it to you all. You guys deserve it! I also wanted it noted that I didn't go into much detail about their high school days because it's not what the story really evolves around. If yall later want to have a story of their High School days… I might be able to do that for ya'll but for now I will only discuss them in High School if the plot supports it. The next chapter will be up after the holidays unless I can get more time into write before 2k17. I am dropping a companion piece to this following the aftermath of the next chapter named .Cranes in The Sky so look out for that one. I also want you guys to let me know if you catch on to any symbolism and deeper meanings in this chapter regarding richonne. I adore discussions and analysis greatly … Anywho thank you so much for the love and support you guys unselfishly show…it means everything and more to me. I hope you all love this chapter and have a beautiful Merry Christmas and New Year. I'll see you guys in 2k17.

Hugs & Kisses 3 -SunflowerDope


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:** "YOU DON'T KNOW" 

-01/05/13-  
-1:30 A.M.-

 _ **Did you ever know what it means to be heard?  
Did you ever feel like a jerk?**_

The sudden blaring of an unrecognizable noise stirred Rick from his sleep, he sat up partially running his fingers through his short curls as he looked towards the night stand, realizing his cell phone was ringing. He reached towards it, pulling the device off of the charger, he plopped back down, sliding to accept the call, he placed the phone on top of his ear as his arm dangled over the bed, "Hello…" he mumbled into the phone

"Rick?" 

"Michonne?" he questioned groggily into his cellphone as he rolled onto his back and rubbed at his eye tiredly 

"I-I need you...the bleeding won't stop, the pain won't go away-Mike won't answer and...and-" she sobbed out

Rick sat up immediately, "I'm on way Mickz...I'll be there as soon as I can…" he rasped out as he threw the covers from off of himself and scrambled to get out of the bed and find some close to throw on "...I need you to breath baby-just breath through the pain my love...can you to do that for me?" he asked as he slide on a white t-shirt and blue jeans 

"-okay" she responded above a whisper

"I will be there before you know it but I need you to say with me… okay?... Alright?... Michonne?... Michonne?" he shouted into the phone, no response. He looked at the screen of his phone, the call was still connected…he quickly stuffed his feet into his cowboy boots before grabbing his jacket, wallet and keys to his truck off of the table and running out of the hotel room.

-2016-

"I'm just so fucking frustrated Andi, I've been back in King's County for weeks now and I still haven't found an office space. I'm starting to feel that maybe having my own firm isn't in God's plan, maybe I should just bite the bullet and just take a position at one of these mom and pop law offices down here" she bit out dishearteningly

"So you can be underpaid and unchallenged? I think not Mich... I know for damn sure you are not interested in fighting cases about who stole the gnome out of the front yard...Why don't you just take up your father's offer-"

"I would rather impale myself with a katana..." she interjected flatly. Michonne's relationship with her father had been a sour note for her since she was 18. The once close knit bond had been replaced with distance and distaste. She wanted nothing from or to do with the man, "...the world would have to go to shit two times over before I ever went crawling to him with my tail tucked in between my legs asking him for anything. That shit ain't happening today or tomorrow" anger slightly settling into her tone, she cleared her throat quickly as she made her way into the double doors of the police station.

Andrea sighed, she knew that the subject of her father was a touchy one. It had always been since they met their freshman year of College, her best friend told her bits and pieces but never delved into full details of the situation, she always settled on it being too painful to explore, "Fine Mich... All I'm saying is just think about...It's not like he doesn't owe it to you and your mother most importantly"

Michonne frowned, biting fiercely at her bottom lip, "I guess..." she shrugged out as she stood in front of the office door her mind running a mile a minute. 

_**Did you ever give up all your pride  
Just to have him by your side?**_

 _ ****_  
The door to Rick's office flung open suddenly, startling the man from the mountaintop of paperwork he was currently engrossed in, a content smirk fell against his lips when Michonne unexpectedly appeared. He watched her shuffle into his office heading towards the leather couch situated on the opposite side of the room next to the entrance, she roughly took off the black fringed boho bag that was draped across her shoulder and tossed it roughly onto one of the cushions before she practically threw herself down onto the couch. Rick chuckled to himself at the image of her laying on her back with one leg resting on the back of the chair and the other extended on the floor, her legs agape as her beautiful face was buried in a sea of black, brown and honey blond locs.

"Well hello to you too" he smiled out

Michonne parted her locs with her fingers, revealing her beautiful brown eyes and a serious pout as she looked towards Rick, "Hi" she sulked out before pushing them out of her face and across the armrest of the chair

Rick smiled brightly as he shook his head at her antics, as much as he hated seeing her sad or frustrated; he had to admit that she wore it damn well, especially today in her black leather jacket that hit right at her slender waist, the high waisted black jeans looked as if they were melted on to her...he wondered if there could possibly be any room left for him in them, a black spaghetti string camisole and black leather booties finished off the look.

He grunted as he stood up from the chair, unbuttoning the first three buttons of his uniform shirt as he made his way around his desk and towards the black leather couch that she was currently occupying.

"Tell big papa what's wrong" he bantered out as he graced her thighs gently as he laid between them, his chest pressed softly against hers as he rested his remaining body weight on his elbows that were tucked on either side of her, he looked down studying her gorgeous face as he waited for her to speak

"I'm just so fucking irritated -"

"About?" He questioned softly, moving a stray loc from away from her face, as he stared down at her perfect full lips, hungrily

"This fucking law firm that I'm trying to open up by myself like an idiot-" 

"Hey now...first off you are not an idiot. You are resilient and a fucking force to be reckoned with. Stop beating yourself up about not have a place up and running yet. It's coming... you just have to stay patient"

"-I'm tired of being patient...I need to work. I'm about ready to throw in the towel and go apply at magic city. I know how to work a mean pole" she deadpanned

Rick licked his lips seductively, the thought of Michonne twirling down a pole and popping her delectable round ass sounded like a very good time to him; it's a show he would pay millions to see. "Oh stop it...me and you both know that ain't an option. It's only one pole that I want to see you on and it's behind closed doors"

"Oh really?" she began to smirk

"Yes mam and it's all for you" he breathed out, his voice dripping with seduction as he licked his lips

"You're such a bad boy…you know how much I love bad boys" she almost purred out

"Yes mam I do… I can't wait for this weekend, we got alotta' making up to do"

Michonne squirmed beneath him, pushing her pelvic against his, "That we do…" she responded as she pursed her lips together, "…thanks for distracting me with sex you jerk" she chuckled out

"My pleasure lovely…" he cheeked out as he sat up and sat next to her on the couch, extending his hand to Michonne to help her sit up as well. Once up, she rested her head on his shoulder as he grazed his fingers against the palm of her hand, "What ya got planned for the rest of the day?"

"I'm just going to head home and take a hot lavender bath, it will hopefully help ease my mind…unless later tonight you want to sneak through my window and do that thing I like with your tongue" she cheeked out

"My services are always available for you…24/7" he grinned

Michonne bit her lip, "You're so bad"

"Only for you my love" he assured as he brought her hand up to his lips and left a small kiss on the back of it

She blushed at the sweet interaction, he always knew how to make her forget about everything that troubled her, he was her quiet in the midst of the storm. Michonne leaned into him, placing a tender kiss on his jawline, "You need to get back to work…"

"Don't remind me…" he exhaled taking note of the ever-growing pile of paperwork on his desk, "…we could always catch a bite or just have a quickie in my truck" he grinned out

"As tantalizing as that sounds…I am not the bad influence in this relationship", she responded as she stood up

"Since when?" he questioned as he stood up alongside her

Michonne smirked as she wrapped her arms around his neck, Rick melting into her…wrapping his arms around her and resting them on her ass, she captured his lips within hers…intertwining their tongues into one, as they shared another's breath. She finally broke from the kiss, smiles of happiness plastered across both of their faces as they broke from the embrace, "-Since now" she beamed

Rick shook his head, his cheeks the shade of the most crimson of red, "How am I gonna get any work done now? I'm going to be thinking about that kiss for the rest of the day" he gushed out as he reached back and picked up her bag

"I'm sure you'll manage..." she giggled out as she took the bag from him and draped it across her shoulder

"Call me when you get in" he rasped out

"I was already planning too" she responded as she left a quick kiss on his lips and exited the office

Rick bit down on his lip sheepishly as he ran his thumb across his bottom lip, which still tingled from their kiss. He shook his head contently as he walked towards his desk to try and refocus on his work, Michonne as always the only thing occupying his mind.

-2013- 

_**Well if you don't know what I'm talking about  
**_

Rick banged urgently against the door to Michonne's dorm room, her silence causing an unshakable fear to crawl under his skin. He dug in his back pocket, retrieving the pocket knife he kept on him encase of emergencies, he bent down, flipping open the knife and pressing it in between the crack of the door…right against where the lock was, with one quick flick of his wrist he popped the lock. He pushed open the door, scanning over the dark room before catching sight of her doubled over in a blood-soaked bed. It felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest as he rushed over to her in a panic.

"M-Michonne?"

She raised her tear stained face towards him, she studied him for a moment, feeling a bit woozy from the pain and major loss of blood, "-the baby" was all that she could mutter out before she lost consciousness

Hurriedly Rick enveloped her into his arms, scooping her from off of the bed, he held her tightly as he made his way towards the door and out of it, kicking it closed with his foot he dashed towards the elevator, going straight to his truck to take her to the hospital. 

_**You don't know nothing,**_

It had been four hours since they first arrived at Brigham and Women's hospital, Rick wasn't allowed to be in the room while they performed the procedure so he was a ball of knots as he burned a hole into the waiting room's floor, in this situation patience was not a virtue. As shook as the situation left him, ensuring that she was okay and would be okay was his priority, he couldn't take seeing her in pain or distraught and it was nothing he could do to fix it… that was what hurt him the most. Her happiness was his own and when she wasn't he wasn't complete. The sound of the door opening stopped him in his tracks, he looked towards the doctor who appeared wearing a solemn smile. He rushed towards her, "How is she?" he rasped out, his hands on his hips as he waited impatiently for an answer.

"She's good…the procedure was successful We did have to put her under but she will be waking up soon, once her vitals are stable we can release her. Shouldn't be more than an hour or so…." she informed

"Alright…Thank you, Can I see her now?" he asked

"Of course you can and I'm sorry for your loss…" she responded with a soft smile as she stepped to the side to allow him to enter the room

Rick nodded towards her, appreciating her sentiments as a nurse by the name of Terry cleared the room to give the two occupants some space. He watched the door close before walking towards her bedside and taking a seat next to her, he wrapped his fingers into hers as he watched her sleep, he brushed a stray loc from her face as he admired the way her lips slightly parted while soft breaths escaped them as she slept, sometimes it was as if she was humming the most beautiful tune, even through her tiredness she was as gorgeous as gorgeous could be. Rick smiled softly, dropping his attention down to his hand, the tan line where his wedding ring once resided still prominent, a bittersweet taste filled his mouth as he thought about his ex-wife and their nasty divorce. The best thing that came from that marriage was his son Carl, sometimes he allowed his mind to wonder…to ponder what him and Michonne could have become if he would have just come here with her. Where life would had taken them and their relationship… he was sure it would have been just as amazing as it was before she left for school. He sighed to himself as he leaned forward, resting his head on the back of his hand.

A gentle graze to his forehead prompted him to look up, he looked up to see Michonne staring back at him, "I see that you're awake" he smiled softly

Michonne nodded, her eyes roaming over the hospital room somberly, the weight of what just transpired hitting her like a ton of bricks, " My baby's gone" she croaked out in almost a whisper her heart and mind in a million pieces as she tried to make sense of why this happened and why it had to happen to her. She had only found out she was pregnant a little over a week ago, she hadn't even had a chance to tell her boyfriend Mike yet.

"Yeah-yeah the baby's gone Michonne" he responded just as soft with a small nod

That revelation caused a stream of tears to flow from her eyes, her chest heaved rapidly as she let out a soul screeching wail, she brought her hands to her face as she continued to break down. Rick stood up, climbing into the bed with her, he embraced her, cradling her into his arms tightly, as her torrent of tears soaked through his white t-shirt, her silent screaming…suffocating with each breath as she tried to hold onto the little pride that she had left…he ran his fingers up and down her spine, in an attempt to calm the silent war within her. 

_**You don't know nothing,**_

"I'm not gonna bother asking if you're alright cause' I know that you ain't. I'm sorry that this happened to you...it's going to take a while to come back from a loss like this..." he looked towards her, watching as she sniffled back tears, he reached towards her taking his hand into hers, "… but I know that you will. I'm in town for a few more days...I don't want you to be alone Michonne. I can't allow you to be alone right now. You're hurting and I couldn't ever leave you in pain. So, you're going to stay with me at the hotel... I'll take care of you. You can sleep while I'm in class and when I get off we can eat as many stale M&M's and Ritz crackers with spray cheese as your little heart desires..." he smiled out sweetly

"I'd like that..." she responded back

"Good cause' your happiness will always be one of my top priorities…"

 _ **You don't know nothing,**_

_ 

_**When the nighttime comes do your tears fall like rain?  
And in the morning, do they fall all over again?**_

The smell of burning Juniper wafted through the air as Michonne made her way out of the kitchen towards the living room where it burned; the sweetness of it causing an unspeakable peace to settle into the room, a peace that was much obliged. Her heather grey cuffed-short sleeved split maxi dress swept against the redwood floors as she sauntered towards the light brown love seat that was nestled quaintly in the corner, right next to her turntable that hummed out Nina Simone's "He Needs Me".

Taking a large gulp of the glass of Merlot in her hands, she sat down the glass on the brass drink table beside the love seat before piling the bottom of the long dress into her hands and taking a seat on the couch... kicking off her black leather slides she curled into the crease of the chair, tightening the oversized cream and black Aztec tribal print cardigan around her. Michonne exhaled softly as she wrapped her finger around a loose loc from the big messy bun that sat at the crown of her head, despite the long day's she had experienced as of late she was staring to relax, her talk with Rick earlier left her in a much better place emotionally and mentally, her dream felt like her dream again and not a burden or irritants... she was feeling hopeful on what the future would bring and having that hope again felt pretty damn good. Michonne bit at her lip at the thought of her Reece, she couldn't wait for their upcoming getaway for his birthday... being able to spend his 30th birthday together was exciting and yet alluring...the gift that she had for him he would want to unwrap again and again over the course of the weekend.

An unexpected knock at the door drew her from her lucid thoughts, Michonne huffed to herself...looking towards the clock on the wall wondering who the hell was crazy enough to be knocking on this door at 8:30 at night. She leaned forward, uncurling her legs from underneath her as she urgently stuffed her feet into her slides, she stood up and adjusted the sweater on her shoulders before walking towards the front door. Michonne switched on the light in the foyer as she leaned into the door and squinted through the peephole scanning outside for some form of evidence to who the person standing on the other side could be; unfortunately, a brown leather jacket was all that she could make out. An unshakable sense of suspense began to sink into the pit of her stomach, the unknown causing a mix of wonderment and dread to stir. Michonne took a deep breath, attempting to fight through the bad feeling that was looming around her; shaking off her second senses she quickly unchained the lock on the door, turning the doorknob as she opened the door slowly, revealing someone from her worst nightmares standing in front of her, a nightmare she thought she had escaped a little over three years ago.

She stumbled back as she took in the man in front of her, his skin the color of the deepest and richest color of umber, his eyes the darkest of browns-they still twinkled like constellations in the night sky, his lips still so full and thick-she remembered kissing those lips a thousand times in another lifetime. As much as she despised his presence it would be an injustice to not notice just how beautiful he remained.

"Angel eyes-I've been looking for you..." he breathed out apathetically

Michonne's heart pounded in her chest, a mix of anger, uncertainty, distrust, and hurt hitting her all at once. Him being here...him finding her was unfathomable, she didn't understand how after all of these years he could pop back into her life and cause her whole world to crumble.

"You have no right to be here" she bit out as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, protectively

"Michonne- don't do that. I came all the way from San Diego for you-"

"You want a cookie or something?" she interjected before continuing, "I don't know how you got my parents address but you need to go back to where you came from because there is nothing here for you Mike"

"Michonne...Can we just talk about this? Can we just talk about what happened? I think about the shit every day and you have to think about someone other than yourself...I've hurt too" he sulked out

Michonne couldn't wrap her mind around what she just heard, around the words that just so effortlessly and selfishly fell from his mouth. 'Think about someone other than herself' that was all she did the entirety of their relationship. She lessened her own light to allow him to shine, to allow him to be who he was because she loved him and he repaid her with nothing but heartache, pain, dishonesty, abandonment and unfaithfulness; he was nothing more than her father.

She threw her hands up in frustration as she retreated inside of the house, his selfishness still prominent after all of these years. He closed the door behind him quickly as he stalked behind her hurriedly. Michonne paced back and forth against the living room floor; her emotions bankrupt. She looked behind her and noticed Mike standing there, she rolled her eyes at him. The fact he was so persistent now was humorous when not even an ounce of him was when they were together.

"Michonne I know I dropped a couple of times-"

"A couple?" she questioned sarcastically with a raised eyebrow, the sudden amnesia of his 'late night antics' a mere joke to her

"YES-look I'm trying here Michonne..." he responded softly, "I know I have fucked up and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you needed me"

"You really don't though...you say this to make yourself feel better about how you handled the situation but for me I am forced to live with it for the rest of my life...you don't get it Mike. You could never understand the agony that I was in emotionally, mentally and most of all physically. It was earth shattering for me and I was lucky enough to have Rick there with me, to have someone there..." she sniffled, fighting back the ball of emotion that was stuck in her throat

"Rick? ...your best friend?" he questioned, his face carrying a heavy scowl as he scanned over her's for an answer, the quick softening of her expression at the mention of him gave him his answer, "Wow-so I guess he's your knight and shining armor huh? ...Your dad always warned me about him and the relationship you two shared. He always told me that it was something deeper there but because we were together I thought that shit was dead and gone but I guess not..."

"Hold the fuck on-When did you speak with my father? You met him one time when my family came to visit sophomore year. I know damn well he didn't tell you all of that within that all of five fucking minutes" she bit out, anger crawling up her spine

"We kept in touch since then Michonne...we speak on an almost regular basis." he revealed

Michonne squinted her eyes as she watched him stoically, taking note of the present tense in his response. She immediately put two and two together, "-he's why your here" she breathed out in a shaky whisper, the emotion she tried to keep a hold of finally breaking through as tears began to fall. The fact that her father even through his own deterioration, still thrived on trying to keep her and Rick apart was too much for her soul to bare.

Mike moved closer towards her, "I didn't want you to find out like this...I just wanted you to answer the phone, to just acknowledge me. I didn't want to just show up out of the blue but you left me with no choice. You got your closure-I didn't..." he implored, "...I tried to be the man that you needed, that I hoped that you wanted but honestly I could never live up to him, your best friend..." he mocked using his fingers as emphasis, "...I loved you Michonne, I was in love with you and I know that when you're in love that-"

YOU DONT KNOW-...", she yelled through tears, cutting him off mid-sentence,"...you can never tell me shit about being in love... because where were you when I lost him- Hmm? ... When I sat in that blood-soaked bed for what felt like an eternity. I called you repeatedly when it started and you never answered-NEVER, not one fucking time…" she bit out through clenched teeth before her face relaxed at the thought of Rick, "…but HIM...that man was there. Rick was there. He got up in the dead of night and rushed to be there for me and he was…before and after the D&C. He held me, he loved on me so that I wouldn't feel that much of a failure. So, that I would know no matter what I would always have him… So, don't you tell me shit about being in love because you know nothing of it" she spat angrily, her brows furrowed as her chest heaved up and down, anger filling each and every one of her loins. Tears of anger, frustration and despise streaming down her face as she gave him the truth that she had been holding on to for all of these years.

Mike looked towards her, apologetically. Not once considering what she had to endure, the thought never running across his mind; his self-centeredness would always be his Achilles' heel. He stepped away from her, no longer wanting to crowd her space, "I'm sorry that you lost our baby, I'm sorry for my absence, I should have been there and I wasn't. I take the blame for it all and I will carry the shame and regret for the rest of my life. It's time for me to be the man now that I wasn't then so I'll let you go… you won't have to worry about me coming back around or contacting you again. I get it, I love you and I always will… just know that I did fight for you Michonne… just not hard enough, I suppose. I wish you the best in life and love even if it will never be with me" he bit out bitterly as he backed away from her, heading towards the front door, he opened it… looking back one more time before closing it behind him; finally releasing her. Allowing her the freedom that she so deserved, the freedom from him and their past that she had been screaming to have since that dreadful night.

 _ **Tell me do you get down on your knees and pray  
That'll never never go away**_

She stood in the dimly lit room, her chest falling and rising rapidly as anger coursed through her veins. For the man that was supposed to be her protector, her rock, her first representation of what a man was supposed to be and for him to bring this man here and resurface all of the pain and hurt that she had endured with him was a shame before GOD. Her father's pettiness towards Rick had been an ongoing occurrence since they were younger, any chance he could get… he was attempting to drive a wedge between her and him but this was the final straw. She was no longer a child who could be 'conditioned' to do what he wanted, she was a grown ass woman with a mind and voice of her own, she made her own choices and Rick was one of them, and she would never allow anyone to come between the man that she loved, including her own flesh and blood.

Michonne stormed out of the living room, heading up the stairs towards her father's study. She threw open the door, startling the man as he sat in his vintage brown leather arm chair drinking a glass of scotch. He placed the drink down on the side table as he watched his daughter approach him, furious.

"You had no fucking RIGHT- "she blurted out through tears

"Watch your mouth w- "

"NO!... How could you bring him here? Why would you do that to me? Do you get a kick out of seeing me hurt…seeing me in pain? Do you?" she shouted as she roughly pushed the sweater back up on her shoulders where it had previously fallen from, "When I lost my baby he was balls deep in some bimbo from a bar…Oh I guess he didn't tell you that did he…" she reprimanded as she took note of the surprised expression on his face, "…I don't get it. I did everything you wanted me to do. I was an A+ student, always on the dean's list or passing my AP classes with honors, I didn't drink, I barely clubbed, I was always home before curfew, I did every single thing you asked of me… the only thing that was my decision…that was mine was falling in love with Rick. I have loved that man since I was 14 years old… that shit doesn't just go away and yet you still will not allow me to have it. I just don't get it…with everything you put Mommy through why you want me to be with a man like you… you laid up on top of Mommy and had a whole 'nother family. Me and Noah have siblings that we have never even met…Why would you want that for me? You don't think I deserve loyalty or faithfulness? I want everything that you couldn't give to Mommy. You broke her and now you're trying to do the same to me…I will not give you power over me. I will not give you my strength, my happiness…I will not give you the satisfaction…" she shook her head softly before continuing, "…for someone in your situation I would think that it would humble you but I guess I'm wrong… you will never change and that is why I haven't spoken to you for the last 9 years…"

Jarrod scoffed as he took a large swig of the stiff drink, "Michonne I'm going to tell you this and I am only going to say it once. What you and Richard had was infatuation… a childish crush that both of you have out grown for the matter. He wasn't good enough for you then and he still isn't, there isn't money in being a sheriff in a shot gun ass town. That is why I shipped you far from him and yet I see that still wasn't far enough… you're a disillusioned if you think that was or is love. Love is-"

"You can't tell me shit about being in love…" she bit out through clenched teeth, "…you are miserable and that is why you have no happiness in your life. You are the reason Mommy left you, you can't blame anyone but yourself. You're here out of pity and that is it…so don't 'disillusion' yourself…" she used her fingers as emphasis, "… to think that this is a second chance because Mommy has been happily married to Mr. Morgan for the past five years…so have fun with that truth", she bit down on her tongue to stop her from going any further. "… It's obvious that you still don't get it so I am going to end this short and sweet…" Michonne walked towards him, bending down so that she was within eye level of him, "-Stay the fuck out of my business" she bit out before grabbing the glass from off of the table and lunging it towards the wall behind him. Glass and liquor splayed across the wall and wooden floor as Michonne stormed out of the dimly lit room, down the stairs and out of the house.

 _ **Don't try to tell me that I'm out of my mind  
Cause anywhere the man goes  
I'll be right behind**_

"Carl…I know how much you love Agnus but daddy keeps telling you that you have to keep her here…your Mama is scared to death of her and we don't need her breaking another leg running or jumping from the little hamster" he chided his son gently through the phone. The sound of Lori screaming bloody-mary and telling Shane were to get the furry rat from caused him to let out an amused chuckle

"I'm sorry Daddy…I just didn't want her to be lonely since you won't be there to take care of her this weekend" Carl pouted on the other side of the phone

"I know son…I know. Daddy wouldn't ever leave without making sure she is in good hands…Uncle Daryl and Jesus just love pets…" he smiled out as he thought of the duo chasing down the rodent as he walked aimlessly through the kitchen. A knock at the door drew his attention from his thoughts, he furrowed his brow as he looked towards the clock on the wall 10:00 PM, "…Alright cowboy it's past your bed time. I'll call you in the morning before I head out to work. I love you son" he informed affectionately

"I love you too Daddy…Night Night-

"-don't let the bed bugs bite" he finished the sentence with a smile as his son let out an infectious giggle before ending the call.

Rick placed his phone down on the counter before walking hurriedly out of the kitchen and over to the front door, unlocking it… he swung the door open, a quick smile flashed across his face when he saw that it was Michonne, that smile quickly fell when he noticed her red, puffy eyes and constant sniffling. He moved closer to her, lifting his hand and resting it against her cheek as he wiped away a stray tear with his thumb. She closed her eyes tightly, letting out a soft breath as she relished in his touch, something that she needed desperately at the moment. Rick ran his fingers down her cheek, across her neck, along her shoulder blades and arms before intertwining them into hers and leading her inside his home.

He closed the door behind them and locked it, pulling her closer to him so that she was walking with him before continuing their journey further into the home. Michonne followed without hesitation or warrant, wherever he went she would follow time and time again. They walked into Rick's bedroom: it was just as she remembered it the only difference was that it was a little more age appropriate nowadays. They continued into the room, Rick guiding her around the right side of the bed and stopping… he looked down towards her, gazing at her beautiful face as he studied it in awe even through tears and sadness she was still a Queen, his Queen. Michonne matched his gaze as she moved a fallen wet curl from his forehead, no words needed to be spoken. He ran his hands across her shoulder blades, gently pushing the cardigan worn down her arms and ridding it across his dresser, he ran his fingers down her spine and around her hips…stopping once near her thighs, he pulled the dress up her legs, bunching it in his hands as he slowly pulled it over her body and head, ensuring once he got to her hair not to get it caught before also ridding that to the dresser as well. Rick stopped to admire her bare form before wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her into his bare chest, Michonne wrapped her hands around his waist as well, resting them on the top of his plaid pajama pants, the feeling of home strong within the other's arms.

They stayed in that embrace for a while before Rick broke from it, he looked towards her with a soft smile as he nudged towards the bed, Michonne nodded, stepping out of her slides she turned around and climbed into their humble abode, she adjusted the pillow slightly before resting on her right side, watching as he walked across the room to close the bedroom door and turn off the light. He quickly made his way back across the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he removed his white socks… allowing them to fall to the floor. He leaned back, bringing his legs in before moving closer to Michonne, he turned onto his side as well as he snuggled up as close as humanly possible to her. He pulled the white comforter over them, to ensure if a chill came in overnight that neither would catch a cold before wrapping his left arm around her waist and pressing his body even closer to her, he left a trail of soft kisses along her shoulder before resting his head on the same pillow and against the nape of her neck, where he continued to leave the soft declarations. Michonne fluttered her eyes, attempting to rid her eyes from the tears threatening to pour, these tears weren't those of sadness but of happiness, pure utter jovial. This was what she had fought tooth and nail for before she even knew there was a fight to have, this was the meaning to all of the love songs she's ever heard or love poems she's ever read, this was more than a friendship…more than a relationship, this was a conversation between their hearts, minds bodies and souls. They were one and had always been one, this man was her home, her assurance, her strength, her protection, her back bone, her rock, her confidant, her everything and in this world and the next he will always be all that she has and needs. He fills her with something unquenchable, undying and unforgettable, something that no one could ever take from them or deny… and that is LOVE.

 _ **Well if you don't know what I'm talking about  
You don't know nothing,  
Nothing about love**_

 _ **You don't know nothing,**_

 _ **You don't know nothing,**_

 _ **Nothing about love…**_

-SD

 _ **A/N**_ : HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYSSSSSS! I hope it's been good to you so far…I've missed you all so much. Ya'll do not know how hard it was for me to not end this with richonne smut, I wanted too sooooo badly but I would hate for Michonne's emotions to be all over the place during the act. So I didn't go there…yet ;). So, now you guys know the reason for the animosity between Jarrod and Michonne. I'm going to touch on the whole school thing in a later chappie but he is a real tool fo real fo real… but I'm sure you guys already had an inkling tho. I hope I answered a few lingering questions… if not let me know and those answers may be coming down the road. This chapter was dear to me, it's really what inspired Cranes in the Sky, I hope you guys love that as much as you all love this story…. Once again I am forever grateful and humble for all of the love and support you all out pour to me, it means so much to me. I'll see you guys again soon…

Hugs & Kisses 3 – _SunflowerDope_

Song credit: Jill Scott "You Don't Know" 


	9. Note (2)

Hiya guys...I hope that you all are having a beautiful day today! I'm writing you guys about an age blunder that was brought to my attention by an amazing supporter! I stated that Rick would be turning 30 years old in 2016 and that he was 14 turning 15 in 1998. It's 18 years from 1998 to 2016 so that should actually make him 32 turning 33 and Michonne 32, which is about a 3 or 4-year difference then what I originally said. I do want to apologize greatly about this mistake on my part. When I originally drafted this story I calculated their ages several times to assure accuracy even asking my math wizard of a boyfriend to review my calculations to make sure I was right. He of course said I was but I was not lol...because of where we are in the story and the plot I'm a little too deep in too totally revamp their ages so for plot purposes I'm going to have to keep everything the same. It's honestly only three chapters left of this story so it would be a disservice to change everything around now so things will remain the same and once the story is a wrap I'll go back and change some things around. I hope this doesn't interfere with you all still enjoying and supporting GND... I thank each and every one of you for all of the love you outpour to me… I do this for ya'll honestly and truly. You guys have made this one hell of a journey and I hope to continue to keep creating magic for you lovelies! Hugs & Kisses 3

 _-SunflowerDope_


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

"... be still my beating heart"

 **-2003-**

Rick sat on the edge of his bed with his left arm pressed against his leg as his right hand reached across his wrist fiddling with the cuff of his white dress shirt, he bit down on his bottom lip furiously as his eyebrows knitted in concentration while he attempted the seemingly daunting task of putting on the second purple and silver cufflink, "Motherfucker" he mumbled to himself in frustration. A few seconds went by and he finally heard the snapping of the bar, Rick exhaled loudly as he wiped away the few beads of sweat that had formed across his brow. After fighting with the damn thing for the past fifteen minutes he felt like he needed to lay down and rest for a spell but he of course didn't have the time to, he only had about 10 more minutes before he needed to leave out to meet Michonne. Rick took a deep breath as he stood up and walked towards the dresser, standing in front of the mirror he began to lift the collar of the shirt. A soft knock at the opened door caught his attention, he looked over to see his father standing there with a proud smile. Rick smiled softly at his elder as he watched him approach. Ritchie Sr. finished lifting up his son's collar before picking up the purple satin tie that laid across the dresser, he placed it around the collar of his son's shirt, ensuring that the wide end rested on his right and the smaller end on the left side, Rick watched on in admiration as his father crossed the wider end over the smaller end as he brought it up into a neck loop from underneath, bringing it back down to the left he wrapped the wide end around the back of the small end bringing it to the right and up the center towards the neck loop then through it and down to the right, across the front to the left, up into the neck loop from underneath, down through the loop that he created in the front and then pulling down the wider end and sliding it up to tighten and adjust the tie knot so that it was sitting comfortably against his throat. Together Ritchie Sr. and Rick pulled down and smoothed over his collar

"You look good son" Ritchie Sr. rasped out proudly as he looked at his son in the mirror

"Thank you pa" Rick responded softly as he looked towards his father, his eyes filling with a love and softness for the man that hadn't shown itself in years. It took them awhile to get back on track after their blow out almost 4 years ago but in recent years it felt as if it had never happened. He had his friend and most importantly his father back and that meant everything to him. His father lifted up the grey suit jacket, helping his son into it as he smoothed over any creases or folds in it before stepping back and taking a second to marvel at his proudest accomplishment.

"I want you two to have fun tonight…night's like this only come around once so make the most of it… just make sure you remain the respectable young man that I raised and that her happiness and yours is the priority-alright?" he smiled out as he wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder

"Alright, pa" Rick drew out with a nod

"That's my boy" Ritchie Sr. smiled out as he pulled his son into a warm embrace, nothing but love, respect and admiration was shared between the two Grimes men before they parted.

Ritchie Sr. smiled to himself as he watched as his son grabbed his wallet, truck keys and the purple orchid corsage off of the dresser. The young man turned towards his father with a wide grin as he hugged the man once more before hurriedly heading out of his room and out of the house, heading straight over to Michonne's.

Rick stood in the foyer chatting with Uncle Ray and Cousin Charles as the rest of Michonne's family conversed in the living room as they waited on the beauty's arrival. A creak of the stairs caused all of the conversations in the room to cease as everyone looked towards the stairwell to see if this was finally it. Shelia appeared on the quarter step landing wearing a smile of pure bliss as she looked towards her family then to Rick, "It's time" she beamed towards him as she looked back up the stairs. The sound of heels tapping against the wooden steps echoed throughout the room as everyone looked on with bated breaths. Michonne appeared soon after, all of their family and friends began to shower her with praise and compliments, she smiled bashfully in response as her eyes immediately locked and stayed on Rick.

Rick stood there with his mouth ajar and eyes wide in awe as the beauty descended the stairs, he could have sworn that night that the angels had come together to create this dream come true, she looked like something straight out of a fairytale wearing a purple sweetheart neck line evening dress with silver rhinestones covering the bodice of the gown. The back of her locs were basket weaved upwards while the front of her hair cascaded forward in a fountain of pin curls with rhinestone bobby pins pinned in. Her make-up was soft and whimsical, her eyes lined in black liner with a hint of silver on the bottom eye lid and a nude gloss lip. The silver body shimmer that dazzled against her skin looked as if she had been sprinkled in the purest of star dust, long crystal flower pendant earrings, crystal bangles, a pair of silver open toe heels and a crystal colored rhinestone clutch finished off the look.

"...be still my beating heart" he said almost above a whisper as she made her way towards him still smiling

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his hypnosis, "You're like family to us man... we trust you to take good care of our 'Chonne... make sure this is a night to remember" Uncle Ray whispered with a smile, the look on the young man's face was one he knew all too well as his eyes met with his wife of 25 years Jacqui who sat on the couch smiling sweetly at the two.

Rick tore his gaze away from her long enough to respond, "I will" he assured the elder with a smile as he began walking to meet her in the center of the room, shyly fiddling with the clear box that contained her corsage

They stood there transfixed on another as they bashfully took one another in.

"You look so beautiful Michonne…like a dream come true" he gushed out with a shy grin once he found the right words to say

Michonne's cheeks immediately grew flush as she dipped her head down quickly to hide the childish grin he brought on, "Thank you…You don't look too bad yourself Reece" she smiled out as her eyes quickly traveled over the Heather Gray suit worn, his purple tie and orchard boutonniere that was pinned to his lapel was a nice compliment to her dress

"I try" he responded softly as he shyly looked down at his feet

"The corsage is beautiful" she responded softly

"Oh-I almost forgot" he responded as he fumbled to get the box open, once opened he reached down and brought her wrist into his hands, slipping on the flower. He ran his hand down her wrist towards her fingers, slowly he intertwined his fingers into hers as they smiled sweetly at one another.

It took longer than expected for them to leave, it seemed at the last moment everyone wanted to talk and gush over them. After taking the 100th picture by Shelia, the duo were finally free. Rick and Michonne walked hand and hand towards Rick's Hunter Green 1976 Ford F-100 Ranger by the name of Delilah.

"You sure you didn't want to ride in the limo with the others?" he questioned softly as he stopped and opened up the passenger side of the truck and helped her in

"No-I wanted tonight to be just us...you, me and our favorite girl" she giggled out as she helped him bundle her dress into his truck

Rick chuckled, "Alright..." he responded softly as closed the door and headed towards the driver's side of the truck and getting in. He put on his seatbelt before sticking the keys into the ignition and starting the truck, he grabbed the stick shift and pulled it down into drive. "…Let's get this show on the road" he grinned out as Michonne giggled in responded. They waved goodbye to her family one last time before pulling off and heading down the street towards their High School.

 **-PROM-**

Her laugher was a question that he wanted to spend the rest of his life trying to find the answer to. It had a way of warming the darkest parts of his soul making it feel like it was something beautifully crafted for him; only she could have this effect...only she could stop his world. Rick headed back over to their table, placing the cups of punch down in front of them as he took his seat next to her. He looked towards her taking in how radiant she was as she smiled and chatted with their friends, a small smile formed against his lips; she was absolutely beaming and he couldn't help but stare with eyes full of love. Michonne caught his gaze, feeling sheepish under it, she smirked as she rested her head against his shoulder. He closed his eyes at her gesture before gently nuzzling her face with his cheek, something had come over him, something he may have been unconsciously fighting for a while now; the fact that he had fallen absolutely head over heels in love with his best friend and deep down he knew that he wasn't in this alone.

The sound of Midnight Star's 'Slow Jam' prompted Michonne to lift her head up instantaneously, she turned towards Rick with a wide smile and twinkle in her eyes, "I love this song" she beamed out happily

Rick smiled towards her sweetly, he took a deep breath attempting to keep the butterflies swarming in his stomach at bay as he cleared his throat, "Can I have this dance Michonne?" he asked huskily as he stood up, extending his hand towards her

Michonne's eyes traveled from his hand up to his face, her heart skipping a beat as she took in the warm and loving smile plastered across it, a bashful grin grew against her lips, "Yes…" she responded sweetly as she placed her hand into his. Rick helped her out of her seat, interlocking his fingers into hers as he led her through the crowded dance floor towards an opening under the silver hanging star lanterns and disco ball. He stopped, turning towards Michonne he unlocked his fingers, he smiled brightly as his hands traveled across her hips, resting on the small of her back, he brought her closer to him as Michonne locked her arms around his neck. Their bodies melded perfectly into another as they began to dance, their hips swaying back and forth in unison. Rick looked down towards her, studying her beautiful face as he inched even closer to her. Michonne's lips fell agape as she gazed towards him, locking eyes with him, she let a bated breath escape her; something was happening. A warm sensation filled each and every one of her limbs, a fire of passion spreading wild across her skin. This passion...this desire...this need couldn't be extinguished; it wasn't meant for containment. Rick's heart pounded in his chest as he leaned into Michonne, capturing her lips into his own. He closed his eyes as he deepened the kiss, reveling in the softness of her lips and sweetness of her breath. She closed her eyes as well, clutching the curls at the nape of his neck into her fingers tightly as she allowed him to take her to pure bliss.

They stayed in that bliss for only a few minutes but it felt like hours before they parted from it, both smiling bashfully at the other as they continued their dance. Rick ran his fingers along her bare shoulders, reveling in the softness of her skin as she rested her head onto his chest, enjoying the affirmation.

"Can we get out of here?" she asked softly, lifting her head as she studied his face

Rick smiled, picking up what she was throwing down, "Of course..." he drew out as he ended the dance. Linking his fingers into hers, the giddy duo headed towards the table to grab their belongings before quickly exiting out the gymnasium's doors.

A soft breeze swept across the duo, as Michonne nestled into Rick's side, his right arm wrapped snug around her shoulders as they continued down the dark, secluded country road; the air fresh and clear as it blew freely from the opened driver's side window. Michonne wasn't sure where exactly they were headed but it honestly didn't matter to her because she was with him, she was with her Rick. He was her protection, her guardian, her safe haven and she knew that as long as she was with him, that she was alright.

Her closeness prompted a soft smile to form against his lips as he stole inconspicuous glances between her and the road, his heart skipping a beat every time his eyes laid upon her. It was so many things that he wanted to tell her... so many things he wanted to say but he couldn't ever find the words too, something Rick had gotten use to a long time ago. But, tonight he wanted things to be different, he wanted to try to show her all of what his heart contained, even if it was without words.

They turned into a wild flower field right off of The Greene Family's Farm, Rick turned off the ignition, removing the keys from it as he turned towards her, "I'll be right back" he drew out as he unbuckled his seatbelt, bringing the back of her hand up to his lips he placed a gentle kiss onto it before opening the driver's side door and quickly exiting the vehicle; urgently tugging at his tie as he walked towards the bed of the truck.

Michonne looked on curiously as butterflies began to fill her stomach, giddiness quickly settling in as she waited for what was to come. The sound of things being shuffled and moved around in the back caused her curiosity to rise but she fought against it, remembering what her Mama always said, 'curiosity killed the cat…' so with that she allowed her instinct of noisiness to pass. She sighed happily before beginning to remove the rhinestone bobby pins that kept her pin curls in place, once removed she went on to undoing her curls and then to taking down her up-do. Michonne worked her fingers through her arm pit length locs, ensuring each and every one was free as they cascaded down her shoulders in an array of curls and crinkles before picking up her clutch and placing the hair pins inside as well as her earrings and bangles. A few moments later Rick returned, standing in the door way he leaned his arms against the roof top of the truck as he rested his right leg against the seat, "You ready" he asked huskily as a wide smile formed against his lips

Michonne raised her eyebrow in wonder as she quickly took notice of the way his now undone tie hung freely around his neck and how is once buttoned dress shirt was now unbuttoned and opened, exposing his white tee shirt underneath and no longer wearing his cufflinks, she looked back towards him biting down on her lip bashfully as she nodded, yes.

Rick chuckled as he extended his hand towards her, "Come here" he rasped out

She leaned forward, placing her hand into his as he gently guided her across the seat and out of the truck. He closed and locked the door behind them as they walked hand in hand towards the bed of the truck.

"I-uh hope this ain't too corny or 'nothing. I just wanted tonight to be special…" he informed softly as he finally revealed what he had been up to minutes prior

A soft gasp escaped her as she stepped forward, taking in the scene in front of her, the tailgate was extended, showcasing an abundance of comforters, blankets and throws covering the bed of the truck, several decorative pillows framed the makeshift love nest as rose pedals and electric candles were strategically placed in the middle, creating the shape of a heart. Before she could thank him, tiny flickers of light began to burst in front of her, a few lights turning into a million as fireflies quickly filled the wildflower field, swarming around the duo rhythmically as they put on a show just for them. She stood there in awe, taking the time to take a mental picture of all of the beauty that surrounded her before she turned towards him, beaming. Her ardent heart overwhelmed and overflowing with a burning love and need as her lips urgently crashed into his, capturing his breath into her own hungrily. Rick hand's roamed across her body, exploring any exposed skin that he could as he traveled down to her ass, cupping it possessively from over her dress. Michonne broke from the kiss…letting out a soft whimper, "Take it off" she insisted breathlessly as she reached down hurriedly trying to remove her heels.

Rick stopped her movements before effortlessly grabbing her by the waist and sitting her on top of the tailgate, his fingers trailed down her body, heading towards the bottom of her dress as he bunched it up and rested it atop of her thighs. His fingers continued their dance across her soft, radiant skin as he made his way down to her ankles, then to her feet. He delicately wedged his thumb under the strap that sat at her heel and pushed it down, taking off the shoe gingerly before quickly doing the same to the other and placing the shoes on the tailgate. Rick swept her locs to the side before clasping the zipper to the dress between his fingertips…unzipping it down until it reached her waist before helping her out of it and resting it across the truck's side panel. His breathing hitched a little as he took in the beauty in front of him, sitting there in nothing but a bra and lace boy shorts, she was euphoria, almost like a habit you just couldn't shake, she filled each and every one of his senses, driving him wild. Michonne bit down on her lip as she watched him intently, her love burning with desire as she reached forward, running her fingers up his chest towards his shoulder blades where she pushed the dress shirt down his arms and off of his body, she tossed it on the tailgate before quickly ridding him of his tee shirt as well. Michonne reached behind, unhooking the black strapless bra worn as she allowed it to fall down freely; her supple, succulent breast now on full display. Rick looked on in admiration, taking a moment to admire the work of art that she was, if he was a religious man he would be on his knees at that moment, thanking Lord for this woman that only he could have specially crafted. He locked eyes with her, his intense stare causing her to come unhinged as she felt her body become like putty. No longer able to stand it, Michonne scooted further into the bed of the truck and laid back, watching as Rick continued to undress himself, he quickly kicked off his dress shoes before unbuckling and removing his pants. He kept his boxers on as he climbed into the back and laid on top of her, their lips instantly crashing into another passionate kiss as they allowed themselves to meld into one another. Michonne reached into his boxers, taking a hold of his long, thick, rock hard manhood, a muffled groan escaped him as he indulged in her soft touch. She bit down on her lip, needing to feel him inside of her as her own love yearned for release. She pushed down his boxers before lifting up her ass to allow him to remove her panties, he put them to the side as he nestled between her legs, the warmth from her heat inviting and tantalizing as he gazed down at her.

"I-I don't have any thang'" he breathed out huskily as he stared intently at her

"It-It's okay...I'm on the pill" she assured hurriedly as she felt herself unraveling under his gaze

"You sure?... 'cause I ain't trying to rush you now... we don't have to do this tonight-"

"Yes!" she interjected, "…I'm sure Rick, I want this-I want this with you" she responded softly but urgently as she pushed a stray curl from his forehead with a gentle smile

Rick nodded slowly in response before leaning into her, he instantly captured her lips into his own as he reached under the blanket to position himself against her slick, waiting heat. Her breathing hitched at the feeling of his hard manhood pressed against her, she wasn't sure what to expect tonight but one thing she knew for certain is that she wanted this and she wanted it with him. After a few moments, he parted from the kiss; taking a brief moment to admire how luminous her skin glowed under the moonlight, it was a thing of beauty.

"You ready?" he asked softly as he searched her face

Michonne nodded in response, widening her legs underneath him for better access. Rick smiled to himself as he reached down and planted another tender kiss against her lips as he simultaneously began to push inside of her. Michonne let out a loud whimper as her upper body bucked forward, her eyes wide and alert as she attempted to get accustomed to the new sensation. Rick ceased his movements when he noticed her reaction, she quickly urged him to continue with a soft kiss. After a brief moment of hesitation, he continued pushing into her, inch by inch he slowly inserted himself, allowing her to get accustomed to his girth. It didn't take long for the pain to subside and for pleasure to overflow as Rick slowly stroked in and out of Michonne, soft moans escaped her as she rocked her hips against him, craving for him to give her all of the pleasure that she so, sought. Rick picked up the pace, rocking his hips expertly as he filled her entirely, her cries of pleasure turning him on even more. He groaned against her lips, she was so wet and tight, she fit him like a glove as if she was created just for him. He could feel himself reaching his peak but he wasn't going to release until she got everything she needed, he didn't need to hold on for much longer because a rush of pleasure hit Michonne as she moaned loudly, her climax pending as he continued his pleasure tyrant. The feeling of her walls tightening around him prompted him to stroke faster inside of her, she ground against him just as hard, both of them wanting to achieve their mutual goal. She bit down on his shoulder as her hips convulsed unmercifully, his breathing began to harbor as he stroked inside of her one more time as their love outpoured. These two kindred spirits becoming one as they rode out the wave of inexplicable bliss together.

 **-July of 2003-**

Michonne hurriedly zipped up the purple hoodie that she wore under the dark blue denim jacket that she had bundled into seconds prior, she turned towards her bedroom mirror…giving herself a quick look over to ensure that she looked presentable in the black leggings and black high-top chuck's worn. Once she was content with her outfit she turned towards the bed and began fluffing the pillows under the comforter so that it resembled a sleeping body underneath, just encase her mother did one of her nightly check-ins before she returned home. Michonne quietly jogged over to her bedroom light and switched it off before heading back towards the bedroom's window and pushing it up. She threw a leg over the window-sill, resting her left foot against the retractable emergency ladder that she had hung outside of the window once her mother was asleep, she firmly gripped the handles at the top of it before leaning forward and hoisting the rest of her body up and out of the window. Once out, Michonne began climbing down towards Rick, who stood at the bottom holding the ladder steady for her. Before she approached the bottom, Rick swiftly wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ladder, placing her firmly on the ground as a giddy smile plastered across his face. She met him with a soft smile before the love birds interlocked hands and dashed around the house towards his already running truck out front.

Michonne watched as he took a bite out of his cheeseburger and then a swig of coke before placing the cup back into the cup holder, her eyes dancing nervously over him as they sat in the parking lot of Dale's. Her mind heavy as her gaze fell to the now cold French Fries that were in her hand, she knew that she had to just tell him but finding the words to shatter their hopes and dreams was easier said than done.

She sighed as she leaned forward, placing the fries into the brown paper bag that sat on the dashboard before turning towards him, "Reece...I have to leave soon" she drew out in almost a whisper

Rick's head whipped over to her direction, his brow furrowed as he slowly chewed the food remnants in his mouth. He wrapped up the burger and placed it on the dashboard as well before turning his full attention towards her

"My dad pushed up my start date with the dean...instead of starting next Spring. I start at Harvard this fall...in August" she looked towards him, tears glistening in her eyes as she continued, "I swear I didn't know" her voice cracked as tears began to stream down her cheeks

"Hey now baby... none of that. It's alright" he drew out soothingly as he moved in closer to her, using his thumb to wipe away her tears

"It's not alright...he's doing this on purpose, to hurt me because I'm not speaking to him. He's knows Harvard has been my dream forever but he also knows how much you mean to me...if I had to choose, it would be you-"

"No-Michonne! I can't let you do that… that's something we both would regret in the end and I can't live with that- I can't live with knowing I'm the reason you stayed here. I can't let you give your dream up for me" he fought back the tears threatening to pour as he grazed her cheek with his thumb lovingly

"Then what are we going to do Rick? I will not have you put your life on hold for me. I couldn't ever ask that of you...Harvard is over 1000 miles away and the Academy starts up soon and I-" Michonne became overcome with more emotion as she began to sob uncontrollably; realization hitting her that the prospect of leaving him soon truer than before. Rick leaned across the console, gently wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her across the seat and onto his lap, bundling her into his arms as he began to rock her, his own tears beginning to pour.

"I-I just don't want to lose you...I love you too much to..." she said softly

Rick sighed shakily, the weight of life hitting him like a ton of bricks, the thought of living without her quickly becoming his worst nightmare, "I love you too Michonne and I don't want to lose you either...I don't want to let you go but I'm going to have to and it hurts me to my soul. I can't get in your way; I can't distract you...I can't hold you here. I would never do that 'cause I love you too much to...so with the time we have left together we are going to laugh, cry, be happy and most importantly love. You leaving ain't going to be the end but only the beginning, when you graduate I will still be right here and we will pick up right where we left off. I can promise you that Mickz" he ran his fingers through her locs

"You promise?", she asked softly as she lifted her head from his chest and looked towards him

Rick smiled softly, her beautiful brown eyes still twinkling even through the tears, he used his thumb to wipe some away before intertwining her fingers into his, " I promise" he responded firmly before lifting her hand up to his and leaving a soft kiss onto the back of it

Michonne watched him intently, a bright smile beginning to form against her lips "Can we go to our spot?" she asked huskily

"Of course," he responded with a bashful grin, already knowing how the night would unfold

Michonne bit her lip excitedly as she crawled back over to the passenger's seat, reaching behind her she grabbed the seatbelt and brought it around her and buckled it. She watched as Rick hurriedly stuffed their unfinished meals into the bags and crumpling the tops down before placing them in the seat between them. He grabbed the seatbelt and fastened it, he turned the key in the ignition before grabbing the manual stick shift and pushing it down to drive. He backed out of the parking space and headed towards the entrance to the drive up, he made a left at the light towards the country, heading to their spot amongst the wildflowers.

It was only about a 10-minute drive to the country when coming from town, Rick turned into the fields, heading straight for their spot in the center. He turned off the ignition, moving the food bags to the dashboard before unbuckling his seatbelt as he prepared to get their humble abode ready for the evening, he reached forward about to open the truck's door when he suddenly felt Michonne's fingers against his wrist.

"We don't need that tonight…" she informed softly as she removed her denim jacket and hoodie, exposing a white tank top underneath

Rick's brow was knitted in confusion as he watched her push down her leggings and panties, her shoes already removed, she came towards him, swinging her right leg around his waist and straddled him, her brown eyes searching his softly as she leaned in capturing his lips into her own. She deepened the kiss as she reached into his black basketball shorts, wrapping her small hands around his thick semi erect manhood, she began to pump it slowly. Rick let out a deep groan against her lips as he palmed her soft round ass in response, she chuckled softly before breaking from the kiss, his manhood fully hard against her palm. She pushed down the top of his shorts, only exposing his sex as she lifted herself up slightly and guided him inside of her. They moaned in unison as he quickly filled her up, Rick wrapped his arms her waist tightly bringing her into him as he palmed her ass, Michonne wrapped her arms around his neck as she grinded hard against him, her fingers gripping his curls savagely as he began to pump in and out of her, meeting her rhythm instinctively.

"I love you so much Michonne" he moaned into her ear as they continued to work one another

"I-I love you too" she panted out softly, beginning to reach her peak

Rick could feel her tightening around him, he knew her orgasm was near. He bucked forward haltering her movements, Michonne quickly looked down at him in confusion, he looked up towards her, gripping her waist as he locked eyes with her, "I don't want this to be over just yet…let's make this last as long as we can" he informed softly as he quickly took off his white tee shirt, throwing it on the dashboard. While still inside of her, he leaned forward, laying her across the seat as he remained nestled between her thighs, she looked on in awe as he leaned forward recapturing her lips with his own, needing to feel their sweet softness again. No one could ever understand this woman's work, how just her mere presence changed everything about his life, how she changed him. She made him better, she made him want to be better…she was pure magic and he knew that nothing could ever replace her. He stroked inside of her, their lips still tangled as another moan escaped them both as they began to make slow, sweet love under the moonlight and stars.

 **-August 1, 2003-**

Rick was doing 80 in a 45-mile zone as he roughly slammed his foot against the gas pedal, he should have been back from orientation an hour ago. Today was the day that they both had been dreading for the past few months, the day that Michonne left for Harvard. Internally he was an emotional wreck, the thought of living life without her was unbearable but he sucked it up and kept it to himself because he had to be strong for her, he couldn't crumble...he couldn't show her just how much is heart was breaking over this. So, he kept it to himself…hoping that the damage wouldn't be too great when it did surface.

Rick turned into his driveway, unbuttoning the seat belt simultaneously as he shut off the ignition and quickly pushed open the driver's side door, he jumped down from the seat, not wasting time to close it as he urgently walked towards the crowd of friends and family that gathered around the front of her house. Rick's chest rose and fell heavily as he pushed through the gatherers, making his way towards Michonne who stood nervously in front of her mother's car, her eyes roaming over the crowd somberly before they landed on him. She exhaled shakily; words not able to convey how it felt to see him as tears began flowing from her eyes furiously as she rushed towards him.

Rick instinctively bundled Michonne in his arms as she cried into the crook of his neck, he tightened his embrace as he fought back his own tears, "I love you so much Mickz...I will never stop loving you. You are going to do great things my love and when you get back I will be here. I will always be here..." he informed softly as he brought his hands up to her face, running his fingers across her cheek and down her jawline, resting them against her chin as he brought her face up to meet his, "Give them hell" he smiled out softly before bringing her into a deep kiss

Michonne closed her eyes tightly as she kissed him back urgently, needing his closeness just one more time. Her gawking family the least of her worries as she melted into him one last time, the memories of them making love just hours prior filled her mind sweetly and yet bitterly. This was it...there time together had finally come to an end, all of those moments, those thoughts, those memories of love, happiness, togetherness and friendship were crumbling down around them and it hurt more than anyone could ever know. They broke from the kiss, resting their foreheads against one another's as they took in each other for one last time.

Sheila's hand on her back broke them from their embrace, "Its time baby" she informed softly as she looked from her daughter over to Rick with a soft smile. Michonne nodded as she looked back towards Rick, who stood there sadly. She pressed her lips against his, "I love you too" she responded softly as she broke from their embrace. Shelia rested her hand on Rick's shoulder before turning and wrapping her arm around Michonne, consoling her as she walked the sobbing young women towards the heavily packed van. Shelia opened the backseat door, ushering her into the car next to five-year old Noah who peered on curiously from his booster seat. Once in, Shelia closed the door and walked towards the passenger seat and slid in, she closed the door behind her as she glanced over to her boyfriend Morgan who was accompanying them on the drive to Massachusetts, she nodded towards him softly. He nodded back as he started the ignition, placing the car into drive and slowly pulling off. Shelia glanced into the backseat, her brow furrowed sadly as she took in her grief-stricken child, she reached into the back grabbing Michonne's hand and holding it tightly.

She couldn't take her eyes off him, she wouldn't take her eyes off him as she looked on from the backseat's window, her fingers resting on his image as if she could touch him once more. Tears continued to stream down her face as she watched his image slowly fade from her line of vision, she felt her mother's fingers interlock with her own, she gently squeezed them into her palm as she continued to break down, she knew leaving was going to hurt but damn she didn't know that it would hurt this bad. Rick had become a major part of her life, he was more than her best friend...he was her soulmate and the reality of leaving him alone while she followed her dream literally broke her heart. She trusted that they would come back together one day but **_What did that mean in the meantime_** _?_ because she knew that she couldn't ever love another the way that she loved Rick Grimes.

His silent sobs almost sounded like wheezing as he stood there trying to stifle them. Attempting to hide this heart stopping grief; this wave of emotion finally overcoming him as he crumbled entirely, his tears falling like rain as his heart and defenses laid at his feet while he watched the love of his life walk out of his life for what seemed like forever. Ritchie Sr. walked towards his son, pulling the young man into his arms tightly as they stood there for what seemed like forever, Ritchie Sr. would have stood there for a million years if it meant consoling his heart broken child. He knew what was to come after watching the exchange from the window of their home, he knew all too well loving someone until it hurt and then one day **_POOF!_** they were gone but unlike the story of his and Rick's mother he knew that this wasn't over by a long shot, that the distance wouldn't kill them… that their love would indeed conquer all eventually and he would personally make sure that Rick would never lose sight of that.

 ** _-6 months later-_**

Rick sat in the booth nestled in the back corner of Carol's Diner, his head hung low with his heart heavy in his hands as memories flooded his mind of the countless moments they spent inside of the same booth kissing, touching, cuddling, enjoying a meal or just being together. It had been about six months since Michonne left for college and he had started Basic Training but it still felt so fresh in his heart as if it had just happened yesterday, he replayed that day over and over again in his mind, this void without her was something indescribable. He missed her in every possible way that you could miss someone, things weren't the same and it felt like things would never be. Rick sat forward, running his hands over his face tiredly as he exhaled sharply, loneliness quickly becoming his only company.

Lori had just finished doing some shopping at the strip mall before deciding to grab a bite to eat at Carol's. She quickly dropped her bags off at her car before walking into the diner, she stood at the waitress stand patiently waiting for someone to seat her, her eyes roamed over the very busy restaurant before a familiar face caught her attention. Lori furrowed her brow as she took him in inquisitively, a soft breath escaped her before she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and began walking to where they were seated.

The overwhelming feeling of a presence lingering over him, prompted Rick to adjust his gaze, he turned to see Lori standing next to the booth with a small smile and eyes full of warmth. To his surprise, she didn't usher a word, she simply took a seat. Even though he didn't say it aloud, her willing to bask in his silence with him meant a hell of a lot to him. Lori reached forward, placing her hands gently atop of his as she looked towards him with a soft smile. Rick exhaled, closing his eyes tightly as he took in the warm gesture, it had been a while since he had felt anything other than sadness or grief. This small act of tenderness was a surprising breath of fresh air coming from her of all people, he opened his eyes, a content smile forming against his lips as he looked towards the auburn beauty in front of him, throughout the chaos that was his life as of late Lori was providing him with something that he needed excruciatingly at that moment; a friend. So, with that they sat there in silence, basking in one another's company.

-SD

 ** _A/N:_** Hiya guys! I'm so sorry this took so long, things got kind of hectic for a moment so it took me a little longer to finish this then I expected too. I was going to write out the full prom scene but this was already long so I didn't want to make it extra…extra long so I left it out. If you guys would like a separate chapter of the prom scene and the moment after they had sex, let me know and I can drop it for you guys. On another note, THEY FINALLY LOST THEIR VIRGINITY GUYS! , in my head I imagine them beating around the bush about it for a while, waiting for the perfect moment I guess lol. This chapter is one of my absolute faves, I literally cried while writing the part where she left for school. I'm a punk ass for these two lol. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did. As always thank you all so much for all of your love and continued support. I do this for ya'll and for richonne of course …I love you all to pieces, see you again soon!

Hugs & Kisses 3 - _SunflowerDope_


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

 _"I'm done taking breaks…"_

 **-FRIDAY-**

 **-11:00 A.M-**

"You know Carl cried for an hour straight because he couldn't come with us, said he wanted to show 'Miss Chonne' the comic book he made" Rick drew out with a sly grin as he cut his eyes to the right of him.

Michonne snorted, a bright smile covering her face as she thought about the youngster's sweetness, "Aww…he's so cute…" she practically squealed as she gazed delightfully towards him; her happy eyes dancing all over the man as he drove them outside of King County's city limits.

Rick smirked, the black ray ban sunglasses worn hiding the jollity in his eyes, he grazed his thumb over the back of Michonne's hand. "He likes you a lot-your all he ever talks about now. He's always asking the next time he's going to see you…when we all can go back to the park and feed his friend's. It's funny but he is more concerned with you then his poor old daddy now a-days" he rasped as he continued driving deeper into the country.

She giggled; the moves this little boy was putting on her heart were almost unfathomable. After losing her own child before she had the chance to even meet him…Carl was bringing out a maternal side to her-a side she never thought that she would rediscover. "The next time you speak to him…tell him as soon as we get back… we are going to the park so we can feed quack-quack & the gang and he can read me his comic" she beamed as she pushed up the gold aviator glasses worn.

"Alright…I ain't going to hear the end of this for the next month" he chuckled as he made a sudden left turn onto a secluded red dirt road.

Michonne smiled tightening her hold on his right hand as she scanned their surroundings, the unfamiliarity of the area caused her to scrunch up her face in uncertainty, "Where are we?"

"You'll see" he smiled out as he brought her hand up to his lips and planted a soft kiss to the back of it. Michonne smiled in response shaking her head bashfully as she gazed at him lovingly, this man and his bags full of tricks. She shook her head gently before turning and looking back down the long road they continued on.

A few minutes later Rick turned onto an all dirt driveway, making a complete stop in front of a closed brass gate. "You know how I've been coming home late the past few nights?" he questioned as he put the truck in park and gazed towards her.

"Yeah…" she responded in a hesitant tone, her eyes stuck to him like glue.

He chuckled, "Well... I want to show you what I've been working on…" he rasped out through a soft smile before unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the truck's door. Rick stepped down from the vehicle, leaving the door open as he jogged up to the gate, reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out the key and inserted it, unlocking the padlock before pushing the gate open.

Michonne looked on curiously, giggling to herself as she watched him lightly jog back to the truck and get back in; a certain giddiness in his expression. Closing the door hurriedly, Rick smiled brightly towards her before pushing the gear into drive and continuing inside of the gates. Michonne sat there captivated as she took in the miles on top of miles of lush greenery. The apple, lemon and magnolia trees vibrant and bountiful as they sat proudly on the huge piece of land. Horse stables, pig pens and hay barrels cascaded across the acres; this scene was straight off of a cover of Country Living Magazine. Rick made a complete stop once again, this time in front of a beautiful white and black two-story Victorian farm house with a wraparound porch and white picket fence surrounding it, the charming house sitting on a small hill. Michonne let out a soft gasp, she marveled candidly at the home; it was truly breathtaking.

Rick chuckled lightly at her reaction, biting down on his lip contently as he watched her, " I take it you like it…"

She nodded, "It's beautiful" she breathed out as she turned her gaze to him.

"I'm happy you think so…it's where I grew up. This is my family's home-" he revealed as he looked out of the window, taking a minute to admire the house that his father built for his mother over 40 years ago, Ritchie Sr. inherited the land from his own father at 25. "I bought it...since my dad and his girlfriend Sherry have moved down to Florida. I plan to move back here with Carl. It's time to reorder some things, it's time to plan for the future-our future" he responded enduringly, the conviction in his tone and intensity of his stare caused Michonne's heart to flutter, deep down she knew those words weren't just a divulge but a telling of their destiny-together.

"Good move Rick…" was all that she could mutter as she cleared her throat, trying to rid the ball of emotion threatening to erupt.

"Yeah…" he nodded out as he gazed at his new home and then back to her. He smiled to himself, the feeling of completion strong within him. "Let's get a move on…we'll have plenty more time to enjoy this place" he grinned as he placed the shift in drive, backing into the grass carefully, Rick made a u-turn to head back in the direction where they originally entered, once there he quickly closed and locked the gate before him and Michonne hit the road, heading to their weekend getaway in St. Simon's Island.

The flecks of golden sunshine poured into the cars window's as the breeze blew effortlessly and freely across their warmed skin. The sunglasses that covered Rick's eyes three hours prior sat on the top of his head, holding his curls in place as he tapped his thumb on the steering wheel and bobbed his head to the sultry music currently filling the car. He smiled cheekily towards Michonne, who looked absolutely radiant under high afternoon's sunshine as she danced and sang along to Maze ft Frankie Beverly's 'Before I Let Go'. She looked so carefree as her long locs blew in the wind as her feet hung out of the passenger side's window, wiggling rhythmically to the beat as well.

"You know…I use to always make fun of people that did this. I thought it was so gross hanging your crusty feet out of the car window for the world to see but I think I might have a change of heart. This is surprisingly comfortable and pretty damn relaxing-I get why it's such a big thing" she giggled out as she met his gaze with a bright smile.

Rick chuckled, shaking his head softly at her cuteness, "I remember you use to say the same thing about cats and then after watching 'The Aristocrats' together you fell in love and became obsessed with them-"

"I was not obsessed!" she objected through a chuckle

"Yeahhh you were. I remember you kept saying you wanted one of early color...you were trying to be a cat lady" he teased

"Yeah right…you're saying all of this but weren't you the one that made me that ceramic cat in art class junior year?

"Yeah I did and you loved that damn cat" he rasped through a proud smile

Michonne bit down on her lip reminiscing on the day he surprised her with it, sweetly. "I did…" she nodded happily, "-you know after that I day I swore up and down that you would be the guy that I married"

Rick's eyes lit up, "Really?"

Michonne nodded once again as she gazed at him lovingly, "Yeah because you take care of me...very good care of me. You still do…I don't know whether it's something you do consciously or subconsciously but you're good Rick and in that moment, I knew I wanted your goodness in my life forever" she revealed bashfully as her warm brown eyes searched his face.

He beamed, "Yeah?" he questioned through a loving gaze

"Yeah" she breathed out with a soft smile

Rick blushed to himself as he turned his eyes back to the road, "Mine was when you called me an asshole in the park that day. It was one hell of a first impression-shit stayed with me forever" he chuckled.

Michonne cackled loudly, "Oh my god…I still can't believe I said that. I still feel bad about it, you didn't deserve that" she grinned

"It's alright… cause' look where we are now" he practically gushed as he stared at her for a moment before reaching over and interlocking his hand into hers again.

Michonne smiled warmly as she brought his arm up to her lips, she placed a soft kiss to the back of his wrist and then hand before tightening the hand embrace, "Yeah…you're right Reece". Rick grinned cheekily as he kissed the back of her wrist as well. That day was a day that he would never forget, he not only met his best friend but he also met the love of his life, something like that was worth remembering for a lifetime and more.

"Do you even remember why I call you Reece?"

"I do…you got two cava-" he began to explain

"Nope four…" she corrected through a sweet smile

Rick nodded, "Alright…four cavities and your mama banned you from eating any sweets until they were filled. I remember you pouting and groaning about how much you wanted some chocolate…how much you wanted something sweet" he mimicked her voice playfully.

Michonne cackled, "I did not!"

"YOU DID! cause' you couldn't have any of it. So, every night I would sneak out to the candy shop and buy you a Reese's peanut butter cup so that I could bring it to school to give to you every single morning" he grinned.

"YES! and then I got four more cavities, my ass whooped and yours" she giggled out

Rick chuckled, "Yep-it was worth it though...just to see that smile on your face. I would have done anything in the world to see that smile, I still would" he rasped out sweetly.

Butterflies swarmed in Michonne's belly as she listened intently to him, this man had absolutely no clue how deep her love ran for him. He was everything she could have imagined and more and if he ever asked she would proudly spend the rest of her days with him- that honestly would make her the happiest woman in the world.

The rest of their ride was a sweet one, the duo laughed, reminisced, loved and simply enjoyed one another's company…it was if they were never apart, as if they didn't live separate lives for a while. You know that was the beautiful thing about it all, the fact that they could reconnect with the same love, excitement, connection and more that they had at fourteen, it made the years apart so much sweeter and oh so much more worth it.

"God…this is beautiful Mickz" Rick drew out as he stood on the balcony of their beach front suite, marveling at the indigo blue waters and almost white sand that cascaded over the horizon for miles.

Michonne sauntered around the bedroom, towards the patio door, walking out on the balcony she joined her beau. "It is…isn't it" she grinned as she placed her hands on her hips. "I really hope you like it babe".

Rick smiled, turning towards her, "Of course, I do baby…I love it actually. Anything you do I will always love" he rasped as he stepped in front of her, wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her into him as a wider smile grew on his face. He had been waiting all day to get her in his arms and he finally had her. Rick caressed her cheek tenderly with his free hand, marveling at her beauty as he always did. He reached forward, capturing her lips with own as he kissed her deep and passionately. Michonne as always… melted into him, closing her eyes as she reveled in him, he felt so damn good.

He broke from the kiss, rubbing his lips across her jawline towards her neck, "What are we doing tonight?" he whispered against her ear.

"I have a very romantic dinner planned for us" she beamed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Really?" he asked as he planted a soft kiss on her jawline

"Yes really…" she insisted, "we actually need to start getting ready because the reservation is in an hour"

"Oh…you know we could always stay in and order room service…it's some other stuff and thangs we can get into" he rasped out as he licked his lips.

"You're so bad…" she chuckled, "I plan to have you climbing up the walls but first we need to eat. So, let's go and get ready because the faster we eat…the faster we can get back in here" she flirted as she bit down on her lip.

He shook his head, "Only for you…" he rasped as he squeezed her ass hard.

Michonne squealed in delight as she beamed happily towards him, "Come on" she grinned as she took his hand and led him back inside of their room.

Rick sat on the chocolate brown leather loveseat for what felt like forever, fidgeting nervously with his fingers as he waited for his beloved to come out of the bathroom. He smiled to himself at the thought of how much of a déjà vu this moment was, it was so reminiscent to their prom night all of those years ago, the anticipation of laying eyes on one of the most beautiful women that had graced GOD's green earth made his spirit soar just as high as it did that same magical evening. The sound of a door creaking open drew him from his nostalgia. A half-dressed Michonne came barging out of the door hurriedly, cradling a black dress to her chest as a red satin scarf covered her locs. Her steps slowed once she took note of him sitting on the couch looking like a whole snack: the man looked damn good in the burgundy linen button up shirt, black slim-fit denim jeans and dark brown leather dress shoes worn; she could have done a little shimmy at the fact he opted to leave his cowboy boots at home this weekend. Impressed she was as she smirked sinfully at him, "Hey! Can you zip me? she questioned now wearing a bright smile.

Rick raised his eyebrow, taking note of how good she looked and she wasn't even fully dressed yet, "Yeah" he drew out as he stood up and walked towards her. Michonne giggled before walking forward, meeting him in the middle of the room, she spun on her heel-turning her back to him. Rick studied the lines and curves of her bare back and shoulders, they were damn near hypnotizing as his hands traveled up the length of her spine to grip the gold zipper in between the tips of his thumb and pointer finger. Michonne bit down on her lip, the smell of his Calvin Klein cologne was driving her wild as she reveled in the warmth of his body and touch. Rick slowly pulled up the zipper, a smirk falling on his lips as he took notice of the cherry red lace thong she wore, a more lustful look formed against his face as he thought of the many ways he wanted to take it off of her. He shook his head gently, ridding the raunchy thoughts from his mind as he closed the form fitting dress for her, leaning forward Rick left a soft kiss at the nape of her neck before running his hands down her shoulder blades.

"Thank you" she purred out as she looked over her shoulder towards him.

"It's no problem" he rasped as he dropped his hands to his side

Michonne turned to face him, planting a soft kiss of gratitude to his lips. "Just give me ten more minutes and then I will be ready" she informed as she parted from the lip embrace.

Rick closed his eyes, needing to indulge in the sweetness of her lips once more. "Alright" he rasped in response. She smiled sweetly before pulling him into another quick kiss before dashing across the room towards the bathroom to finish getting ready. He exhaled softly as he stared at the bathroom door, still captivated by her as he impatiently counted down the minutes until she returned.

Ten minutes later Michonne reappeared, stepping into the room gracefully as she strutted towards Rick, who sat there dumbfounded as he watched this beauty of a woman approach him looking like the epitome of sex appeal, for a second he questioned if she was The Queen of Sheba reincarnated. Rick marveled at the way the black, off shoulder body con dress with a plunging neckline, clung to her body like a second skin, her luscious cleavage on full display as the dress stopped a little below her knees. Her long locs were loosely curled, framing her face gorgeously as thin gold stiletto heels with straps across her toes and ankles adorned her feet. Long gold fringed earrings, dark red matte lipstick, a dark smoky eye and a black clutch purse completed the look. Rick swore up and down that this woman was a Goddess and tonight she was proving how in every way possible she was. "God…you look amazing baby" he rasped as he wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her into him.

"Thanks…you look pretty damn good yourself" she flirted back as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're making it a hell of a lot harder to get through this dinner…you would be enough for me" he drew out sensually as his blue eyes pierced through her.

"I believe that is true but I am starving sir and you know how I get when I'm hungry" she smiled as she ran her fingers through his brown curls.

"Indeed, I do-" he chuckled, "let's not waste anytime then because the quicker we eat…the quicker I can get you out of that dress" he grinned wickedly as he began ushering her towards the door to their suite.

Michonne cackled loudly, her locs bouncing slightly as she shook her head bashfully at her man's antics, little did he know she wanted this dress off and him in between her thighs just as bad. Not wanting to miss their reservation, the duo exited the room hand in hand, both excited for what the rest of this night would offer.

"That tiramisu was like heaven in my mouth-it was sooo good" Michonne beamed as she blissfully plopped down onto the couch, watching as Rick bent forward to untie and remove his dress shoes.

"It was really good-" he nodded out, "honestly everything was. That was the best damn Italian food that I've had in my entire life" he chimed as he walked towards the loveseat and took a seat next to her.

She smiled as she began removing her earrings, "It was…I'm happy you enjoyed your birthday dinner" she revealed as she tossed them on the coffee table along with her purse.

"Yeah, it was amazing-everything so far has been amazing. I thank you for that" he gushed as he watched her lovingly.

"You don't have to thank me babe…you deserve it. It is your birthday after all" she quipped as she began reaching for the ankle straps to her stilettos.

Rick gently swatted her hands away, "Nah…bring em' here" he instructed as he patted his lap for her to rest her feet on.

Michonne shook her head at his cuteness before lifting her legs up and draping them over his lap, she relaxed against the arm of the chair as she watched him unbuckle and remove her heels. Rick placed the shoes on the floor by the couch as he ran his fingers across her smooth skin.

"I really do appreciate all of this Michonne. You have made this whole trip so far an extraordinary one" he reveled sweetly

She giggled, "Well aren't you cute…"

He chuckled, "I'm serious…you ain't have to do all of this but you did. I owe you-actually I got sumthin' for you" he rasped out as he delicately laid her legs across the couch and stood up.

"What?-oh stop it…this is your birthday" she smiled out as she watched him cross the room, she watched him intently as those same butterflies began to swarm in her belly again, the anticipation of what was to come stirred a bit of excitement in her.

"It's alright- we'll have plenty more to celebrate" he drew out with a wild smile as he picked up his phone from the dining room table that was nestled in the small kitchenette. 

Michonne raised her eyebrow curiously as she watched him unlock the phone and search for something in it. A moment later he placed the phone down with a cheesy grin as Al Green's 'Love & Happiness' began to fill the room. 

"Oh my god" she chuckled out loudly as she watched Rick rasp out the first two chords. Suddenly he sang out 'yeahhhh' and turned on his heel, now facing her. A bright smile was now plastered across her face as she watched him bop his head up and down, vibing along to the guitar intro. Rick began two stepping towards her as he simultaneously began to unbutton the burgundy linen shirt worn, he rolled his body to the beat as he continued to move closer to Michonne. He began to roll his hips as he pulled off the fully unbuttoned shirt and tossed it to a now cheesing Michonne; who's bright eyes twinkled with an unspeakable happiness as she clutched the shirt in her hands. Rick continued moving as he climbed on the couch, almost straddling her in place as he thrusted his hips, Michonne draped his shirt on the arm of the couch before she ran her slender fingers down his bare chiseled chest, "Yes daddy" she purred out as she bit down on her lip lustfully. Rick crouched down, leaving small kisses against her neck as he breathed out, "We'll be together yeah…we'll see each other-walk away with victory" before stepping off of the couch and biting down on his own lip; the way that she moved against the chair left him almost in a trance. Michonne caught his gaze, a smile fell against her lips as she stood up, watching as he took her in hungrily, "You're making me a little hot and bothered" she enticed as she palmed his ass, bringing him into her.

Rick chuckled wide eyed at the interaction, "Oh really now" he drew out as he pinned her body against his chest. She nodded in response as she exhaled softly. He smirked, licking his lips slowly as he leaned into her, "Good-cause' I'm sure I can make you hotter" he smiled out devilishly as he suddenly hoisted her into the air, Michonne let out a giddy squeal as she wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively as his strong hands planted on the bottom of her thighs kept her in place. Rick sauntered across the room, heading towards their king-sized abode, once reached he lightly tossed her on top of the freshly made bed. Michonne giggled as she swept her long locs onto her back and propped herself up on her elbows, her sultry eyes took him in as he looked down on her in awe, she smiled before bringing her legs in the air and resting her feet against his chest. Rick wrapped his fingers around the heel of them, leaving tender kisses on the top of her toes before he began leaving a trail of kisses up her ankles, calves, and then her thighs. Michonne moaned as she enjoyed the softness of his lips against her skin.

Rick's warm hands traveled up the length of her body as he wandered under her dress, the warmth of his fingertips caused a chill to run down her spine as she bit down on her lip lustfully. A devilish smirk formed against his lips when he found what he had been searching for, he wrapped his two index fingers around the waist of her red lace thong, his eyes locked on her as he tugged the fabric down her chocolate thighs and legs in one quick motion, ridding them to the floor as he turned his attention back to her. Rick hooked his fingers under the back of her calves and pulled her down to the edge of the bed. Michonne giggled in response as she watched Rick lustfully lick his lips before falling to his knees. She began pulling her dress over her hips, his strong hands covered hers as he finished pulling the soft garment the rest of the way. She rested one leg on each of his shoulders as Rick palmed her ample ass, he leaned forward marveling at the beauty that was her womanhood, every slick fold, every crease-the beautiful contrast of her mahogany exterior to her rose-colored interior and succulent clitoral hood was driving him wild and he hadn't even tasted her yet. Rick brought his face into the depths of her centre, humming against her core as he fiendishly took in her sweet essence, Michonne let out a soft whimper, the vibrations causing her to quickly unravel. Rick smirked as he licked his soft pink lips before diving head first inside of her, using his tongue he licked longly inside her fortress, a shudder escaped her lips as she ran her hands across the comforter underneath her. Rick took her love bud between his lips, nibbling on it gently before he began lapping and sucking on it with his tongue. His eyes locked intensely on her as he watched the way her body snaked beneath him, her hips rolling and bucking uncontrollably as she took the pleasure tyranny he was unleashing on her expertly. Rick continued rolling and twisting his tongue around her clitoris, holding down her shaking thighs each time she neared an orgasm. He drew back, not wanting this to be over just yet as he used two of his fingers to spread her lips wide. He moaned against her soaking wet heat again before drilling his tongue hungrily into her tight fortress once more. Michonne groaned louder as her back arched, she closed her eyes in pleasure, enjoying the tingles shooting all through her body. "You taste so fucking good baby..." he mumbled against her soaking pussy, "I want to eat you for breakfast, lunch and dinner..." he drew out before running his hands up her thighs and spreading her limbs even wider, pinning them open with his forearm as he began lapping at her clit and womanhood savagely. The pressure from his lips caused Michonne's whole body to quiver as she continued moaning under him, "Eat that shit daddy...this is your pussy-it's all your pussy" she grunted out as she ground against his face. Rick groaned as he rubbed his semi erect penis over his jeans with his freehand, she was indeed climbing him up a damn wall that he did not want to come down from. He could feel her engorged pussy throbbing against his lips as she began to convulse, "Oh shit...Oh shit" she hissed as her back arched once more off of the bed, her toes curled and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as an earth-shattering orgasm ripped through her body. Michonne collapsed breathlessly against the bed as she peeled the top half off her dress away from her skin. Rick licked up any excess of her delicious nectar he could find before gently unpinning her legs and crawling up her body, towards her face-before he could speak, Michonne's lips came crashing into his, she licked and sucked on his already hot and swollen lips, leaving her lipstick all over his mouth; tasting every drop of her sweetness all over them as she moaned cravingly against those lips. Slowly she reached down, capturing the waist of his jeans in her fingers. She quickly unbuttoned and unzipped them as she pushed the garment beneath his buttocks, exposing his dark blue boxer briefs before reaching into them and wrapping her hands around his warm, thick, manhood-pumping it up and down slowly. The sensation causing Rick to let out a throated groan as she broke from the kiss. Her brown eyes dancing with a lustful fire as she gazed towards him, "Lay down" she instructed as she continued to pump him, he nodded urgently as he rolled from atop of her and onto his back, her hand never leaving his vessel. Michonne pumped once more before stopping abruptly, she crawled off the bed as Rick looked towards her with wide questioning eyes, she giggled in response as she unzipped her dress and shimmied out of it, she quickly brought her curled locs into a high ponytail before moving back towards him, hooking her fingers into the waistband of his boxers and jeans. Rick watched her with hooded eyes, licking his lip sensually as he lifted off of the bed, aiding Michonne into getting him out of his pants. She tossed them on the floor as she brought her fiery gaze back towards him, his hard-long length standing at full attention caused her mouth to water, only if he knew how bad she wanted him deep down her throat. She crawled on top of him, her naked body brushing gently against his, promoted his dick to twitch as he impatiently waited for her next move. Michonne nestled in between his opened legs, grabbing ahold of his penis again, she began to pump her hand up and down slowly, moving her face closer, "Shit!" he groaned as he watched her intently. She smirked wickedly as she took him into her warm, wet mouth, his eyes fluttered rapidly as he groaned loudly. Michonne twirled her tongue around the tip of his penis, sucking on it simultaneously as she moved down his shaft towards his base...repeating the motion over and over again, "My God...you're trying to kill me woman" he moaned as he watched her head bob up and down on his dick, the way her dark cherry red painted lips covered him entirely made him want to weep like a sinner in church. Michonne locked eyes with him as she took him deeper into her mouth, allowing his tip to hit the back of her throat as she throat fucked the life out of him, he whimpered uncontrollably as he thrusted into her mouth slowly, it felt like his soul was about to leave his body, "Yeah you're trying to kill me-" he groaned as Michonne continued to suck out his life force, the man was utterly helpless under her control and he honestly didn't care. Rick could feel his balls tingling as his penis twitched, his eruption drawing near. He wasn't ready to end the night like this, he needed to be inside of her-he needed to feel her. He bucked his hips forward, stopping Michonne's mouth service as she looked towards him dubiously, "Come ride this dick...it's yours ain't it?" he drew out huskily as he looked down at her lustfully. She smirked, removing him from her mouth with a loud **POP!** as she crawled up his body, straddling her legs on either side of him as she palmed his hard penis in her hands, she lifted herself, hovering over him as he rested his hands on her hips. Rick could feel her warmth radiating over his throbbing manhood, slowly antagonizing him-slowly causing his mind to unravel as he craved sinfully the magic that was between her thighs. Michonne could see the lascivious agony etched across his face, she leaned forward placing a passionate kiss against his lips before she slid down on his shaft, she threw her head back with a loud groan as Rick moaned as well. She came forward, beginning to grind her hips into him, picking up her pace as she locked eyes with him, the intensity in his blue eyes causing her to become unhinged as her soul craved for the liberation and freedom that only the glory of this man's dick could provide. He was more than a drug…more than an addiction. He was a desire that burned from the depths of her, one that could not be extinguished or put out-this man took every part of her being and set it ablaze, taking her deeper and deeper into pure bliss and she loved every single moment of it.

Rick leaned forward pumping inside of her forcefully as he clutched her long locs in his fist, prompting them to fall out of the ponytail she had placed them in earlier, he continued matching her rhythm, moving as deeply and quickly as she was, "You feel so good baby" he whispered against her ear as he sucked on her earlobe. Her legs immediately clamped against his waist as she closed her eyes tightly, he knew damn well that was her spot. He was showing her no mercy, he was fucking her as rampant as she was fucking him and it felt good-so damn good. "Yessssssssss daddy" she whimpered as her hips began to buck. "I'm about to cum...I'm about to cum baby" she moaned as she bit down on his shoulder, no longer able to take the pussy ravaging Rick was bestowing her with. He continued his mission, wanting to leave his woman as humanely satisfied as he could. Every time she closed her eyes he wanted her to feel him inside of her, taking her to nirvana and beyond. Michonne's vaginal muscles tightened around him as she continued groaning against his shoulder and ear, her thighs and pussy shook against him as her orgasm hit her hard and mind-blowingly. Rick felt his own welling up as he slowed his stroke, pushing in and out of her slowly as he finally reached his peak. His breathing harbored as his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he bust, letting out a loud groan as he filled her womb, Rick clenched and unclenched his ass cheeks until he spilled all of his contents inside of her before resting his hot, sweaty forehead against her chest. Michonne smiled as she ran her fingers through his dampened curls, happiness filling her sweetly. Rick wrapped his arms around her tightly, bringing his love as humanely close as his body could. He looked up, searching her sparkling brown eyes in awe as he contently basked in the unshakable love he had for this woman. He smiled, running his fingers along her spine and lower back as he leaned into her lips, "I love you" he rasped out as he brought her into a deep kiss.

They broke from it, a sweet smile formed against her lips, "I love you too" she responded softly as she gazed lovingly at him, still connected-they stayed in that embrace for as long as their tired limbs would allow.

The waves crashed against the shore; strong yet soothingly as Rick laid there, allowing the rhythmic percussions to take him away. His eyes roamed the moonlit bedroom, it's light casting down on Michonne angelically as she slept peacefully beside him. He smirked, it was mind boggling to him how an already beautiful woman could be even more breathtaking in her sleep, the way she quietly hummed in her slumber, her full, soft lips slightly parted as small breaths escaped them, the way her brow would furrow or how slowly or quickly her eyelashes fluttered depending on her dreams, the way her hair encompassed her like a halo. She was a dream come true-his dream come true and it was undeniable that her love completed him, that she was the other half to make him whole. Rick moved closer to her, moving a stray loc from her face as he gazed lovingly towards her, making his choice-the choice that would keep this woman here with him-in his life forever.

 **-SATURDAY-**

Rick chuckled to himself as he watched his girlfriend splash and kick at the gradient blue beach waters; like a child discovering the beauty of the world. She giggled happily every time the soft waves from the shore hit back. Michonne was absolutely luminous under the sun's ambient glow; she was simply perfection and there was no other way to put it. The sudden feel of water sprinkling over him pulled him from his daze, Rick looked up to see Michonne standing with her hands on her hips mischievously.

"Did you really just-" before he could get out the remainder of his question. Rick was met by a bigger splash of ocean water to his face. Michonne cackled loudly as she watched him hurriedly wipe the water from his face with the light denim blue shirt worn.

Rick smirked as he peered at the happy woman, "You think that's funny, huh?" he questioned as he began walking into the water towards her.

"Yeah" she quipped as she studied his movements carefully, she knew he was going to strike but when was the question.

He licked some of the salty residue from his lips as he nodded, "Alright" he rasped out nonchalantly as he stopped a few feet away from her. Michonne squinted towards him, her eyebrow raised curiously as she continued trying to gauge what his next move was, he didn't give her much time to ponder because within seconds Rick was on her like white on rice. Effortlessly he grabbed her by the waist and threw her across his shoulder, walking deeper into the ocean's waters. Michonne yipped as she tried to break free from him but his tight grip on the waist of her denim shorts wasn't going to allow for that to happen. Rick playfully smacked her ass in response before tossing her into the deeper portion of the ocean's shoreline.

He chuckled as he watched a drenched Michonne let out a loud gasp, "You jerk!" she chuckled out as she sat on the ocean's floor, her shorts and white tank soaked as she looked up towards the man.

Rick chuckled as well, "You started it…" he rasped as he strolled towards the drenched woman, offering a helping hand to her. Michonne rolled her eyes in response before reluctantly taking his hand, Rick gently helped her to her feet. A warm smile forming across his lips as he pushed a stray loc that fell from her sloppy bun out of her face before bringing her into his chest, "I love you" he rasped against her ear.

Michonne giddily bit down on her lip, "I love you too…" she responded warmly as her dark brown eyes danced happily over his handsome face.

Rick grinned bashfully, "Let's go get out these wet clothes and get sumthin' to eat"

"Okay" she nodded softly before locking her fingers into Rick's, hand and hand the two carefully walked through the shoreline and sand, heading back towards their resort to get ready for their last night together.

Rick paced across the wooden floors nervously, this nervousness was not out of fear but out of anticipation-anticipation of what he was about to do. What he was about to say was a long time coming, finding the right words to put 15 years of friendship and love into perspective was easier said than done but deep done he knew it wouldn't be that hard. Michonne has given him some of the best years of his life…he hoped that she could give him many, many more. He stopped, the sound of the water turning off promoted Rick to glance towards the bathroom door, this was it, there was no turning back now. He wiped his sweaty palms on the legs of his jeans as he waited for that door to open.

Michonne beamed to herself as she opened the bathroom's door, today was nothing short of amazing, being able to just BE with Rick was everything and more to her. It had been so long since it was just them, moving forward she couldn't imagine it any other way, him and Carl were her family now and that was all that she needed. She emerged from the bedroom her and Rick shared wearing a cropped black long sleeve hoodie, high-waisted blue jeans and a pair of low cut black & white converses. A bright smiled radiated from her as she happily took in her surroundings, her excited eyes landing on the man that was the source of the constant butterflies swarming inside of her. Her smile quickly faded when she took in the unease on his troubled face, curiously she approached.

"Rick?... babe, are you okay?" she questioned as she stopped in front of him

It felt as if his heart was going to pump out of his chest when she said his name, he took a deep breath to ease his nerves as he stepped closer to her, "I will be after I say this…" he rasped as he took Michonne's hands into his own, "Where do we go from here?" he quizzed softly.

"We're together...just like how it was before" she countered as her eyes roamed over his face inquisitively.

"As much as I want that-how much I want to believe that…the thing is that it's not just us anymore Michonne...it's not how it used to be. Things are different-I have a son now...I have Carl and I know it's a lot to throw at you cause' he ain't your responsibility but mine and I just don't want you to ever feel like it's too much for you...that you need a break from all of this-"

"NO!- I won't need a break" she interrupted a bit loudly than she intended, she quickly adjusted her tone before continuing, "I'm done taking breaks Rick...I love you-so I love him too. You are all that I want and have ever wanted and Carl is a part of you so I'm choosing you both. I need you both because the day I laid eyes on him he stole my heart-just like you did when we were 14 years old. I want this...I want us" she assured softly, tears beginning to stream gently down her face.

He shakily exhaled, hearing those words was everything he needed to hear. The woman that he had been in love with since he was 14 years old, wanted to be a family with him and his son. The feeling of euphoria washed over him as he bought her into him, resting his hand on her cheek as he gently wiped away the tears that escaped her beautiful brown eyes with his thumb.

Rick rested his forehead on hers, "GOD...I love you so much. I won't ever know what I did to be blessed with you but I will thank 'em for the rest of my life" he revealed softly,"...I need you in my life forever-I need you for forever and past that…" he huffed out as he stepped back, dropping down onto his left knee as he reached back and retrieved the velvet red box out of the back pocket of his jeans. Rick looked up taking Michonne's left hand into his right as he searched her eyes, a wide smile spreading at the shock and happiness dazzling within them, "…you are who completes my existence…my life starts and begins with you Michonne and growing old with you and having a house full of babies would make me the happiest man in the world but only if you are willing to have me-Only if you are willing to be my wife…" he rasped out as tears began to pool in his soft eyes.

"Yes" she croaked out softly through an excited nod.

Rick smiled as he slide the platinum pear shaped diamond split framed engagement ring onto her finger. Michonne marveled at the beauty for a quick moment before leaning down and capturing Rick's lips into hers, bringing him into a deep, sensual kiss. He closed his eyes, basking in her as he moaned against her lips, he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life tasting those lips. The sound of Michonne's cell phone ringing halted their lip tangle, she looked towards the wooden end table, her mother's name flashed across the screen as a frenzy of text from Noah filled the notification bar. "Give me one second babe…" she whispered out before leaving a quick peck on his lips and walking towards the table. Rick stood up and took a seat on the couch as he watched her wipe away her tears and clear her throat before answering the call. The sheer joy that was plastered on her face just seconds ago was replaced with fear and anguish as she spoke urgently into the phone. Rick stood up, needing to be by her side as he took notice of the distress in her tone. "Everything alright baby? he questioned softly as he walked up behind her, placing his hand on her lower back as he studied her for some type of answer to her sudden change in demeanor.

"Okay Mommy…I'm on my way" she breathed into the phone before ending the phone call. She stuffed her cellphone into her boho bag before turning towards a concerned Rick, "I-I-It's my Dad…he's at the hospital-in hospice. We have to go…he-he's dying…" she revealed, her voice trembling as she attempted to wrap her head around what was happening.

Rick knew this pain all too well, instinctively he pulled her into a tight embrace as he rubbed her back soothingly, "I'm so sorry baby…let's get packed up so we can get you home" he comforted. Michonne nodded against his chest before parting from the embrace, quickly the duo packed up all of their belongings and headed downstairs for an early check out before making their way to Rick's pick up to head to the hospital. King's county was an almost four-hour drive from where they currently were, if he pushed the metal he could get them there in a little over two-his only hope, was that Jarrod could hold on until they got there.

 **-Sunday-**

 **-12:01 A.M-**

Two and half hours later Michonne and Rick rushed through the glass automatic doors of King County's Regional Hospital, she scanned her surroundings before her eyes landed on the receptionist desk, quickly the two headed towards it.

"Hello...how may I help you today?" the young latina woman with pig tails and hoop earrings questioned as she looked between the duo in front of her.

Rick glanced down at the nurse's name tag, Rosita before moving closer to Michonne. He rubbed her back soothingly for support as he watched her with a sympathetic brow. "H-Hi- My name is Michonne Robinson, my father Jarrod Robinson is here. I believe he is in hospice, I don't know the room number. My mother called me around 10:00pm, saying he was being moved from the room he was in earlier" she informed softly, her voice trembling after every word she spoke.

"I'm so sorry…let me just take a lo-"

"MICHONNE!" a voice called from down the hall, her and Rick looked towards the direction the voice came. Noah quickly came into view, Michonne huffed as she rushed up to her brother, Rick right on her heels.

Noah smiled as he quickly bundled his sister into his arms and dabbed up Rick. After greeting them, he quickly led them towards the elevators, up to the 6th floor. Michonne let out a shaky breath as they moved closer down the white washed corridor, the sound of machine's beeping and buzzing, pacified her anxiety…she could feel herself unwinding, she could feel everything building up inside of her ready to spill over like paint to carpet; stained. She could have never imagined that her last conversation with him would ultimately be her last, she didn't know what she was about to walk into-that unknown was causing her an unimaginable grief, one that no matter how she felt about him still hurt her to the core. Her and Rick continued to follow Noah down another rounded corner, he led them pass a waiting area where Rick noticed two children sat crying. He furrowed his brow sadly as he continued after his fiancé and soon to be brother-in -law. It wasn't until he heard the distinctiveness of sniffling and chatter that he knew they were near.

Noah stopped abruptly, turning towards his sister, he tiredly ran his hands through his short dark curls, "It's room 625…just three doors down. I can't go no further sis. I-I can't see him like that again" he revealed sadly as he fought back tears.

Michonne cradled her younger brother into her arms, "I know…I know. It's going to be okay" she consoled.

Noah nodded against her shoulder, "Mommy is in there…she's waiting for you. I'll take Rick back to the waiting area. The kids are here too…"

"Okay…" she nodded out as she hugged her brother once more before turning towards Rick, "I'll be okay" she assured, soothing his panic was more important that her own at the moment.

"I know" he rasped as he pulled her into a warm embrace, he kissed her forehead tenderly before releasing from the hug. He watched on as she walked towards the room, knocking softly against the door and disappearing inside shortly. Together, him and Noah turned back in the direction they came, heading around the rounded corner towards the waiting room.

Rick placed a supportive hand to Noah's shoulders as they walked, how the young man was feeling was a feeling he knew all too well. "You may not see it now but you're going to be alright. Thangs are going to work out" he rasped

Noah nodded, wiping away the tears he was fighting back with the back of his hand, "Thank you man…It just hurts-it just hurts ya' know. Like I can't even put into words how I feel right now…I'm just lost-just numb. I have no clue how to comfort my damn self but how do I go into this room and tell these two kids that our father is dead-that he's gone and he ain't coming back. Me and 'Chonne are all they have left." He revealed sadly.

Rick nodded, tightening his grip on Noah's shoulder. "I know first-hand how it feels to lose a parent. It's hard but with love and support-you all will get through this. They will get through this and I will make sure personally of that. We are all family…that's what family does."

Noah nodded, "Yeah…thanks" he responded as he looked towards the brother he had inherited a long time ago. "Thanks man..." he smiled out warmly.

Rick smiled as well, "No problem at all…go get some fresh air. I'll watch 'em" he informed earnestly.

Noah nodded in gratitude as he stared at the man humbly for a moment before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans and walking towards the elevators. Rick sighed, running his hands through his curls as he turned and looked inside of the glass window, watching the young boy and girl grievously. An image of him sitting alone in a darkened waiting room in this same hospital a little over 15 years ago suddenly conjured up. Death was something entirely else, it was not a sleep that the person would one day wake up from as his father tried to explain to him, it was something permanent and inevitable. It took Rick years to come to terms with that, without a proper support system, he suffered alone. That fate was something he didn't want for those kids, he wanted something more for them-whether peace, acceptance or forbearance. He wanted to give to these children something he didn't have the opportunity to receive until a beautiful, vibrant girl with a crass mouth and beautiful brown eyes, came into his life turning his world upside down and all the way around.

Rick walked into the room, approaching the boy and girl cautiously. The two children watching him like a hawk as he stopped and kneeled down in front of them. "Hey…" he rasped out as looked between the two with a warm smile. "I'm Rick-your big sister's fiancé" he revealed softly. The little girl leered at him with a raised eyebrow as she watched him suspiciously, her attention immediately snapped to her older brother, when she noticed him clearing his throat to speak.

"Michonne?" the boy with dark brown eyes questioned with wide eyes, the girl nudged him in the arm, scolding him for talking to a stranger.

Rick chuckled, "Yeah…Michonne" he informed sweetly as he looked between the two, their close bond evident as they spoke to one another in hushed tones.

The boy shook his head in response to whatever his sister was saying, as he absentmindedly played with the wooden ying and yang necklace draped around his neck, "I'm Tyreese…this is my little sister Sasha"

"Only by two years" she quipped threw a furrowed brow as she continued to watch Rick.

"Well it's nice to meet you Tyreese and Sasha" he smiled as he extended his hand to each of them. Tyreese accepted the greeting immediately, after a few moments of reluctance Sasha did the same.

"Where's Noah?" she questioned as she quickly dropped her hand back down to her lap.

"Oh-he just needed some fresh air. He will be back soon" Rick assured.

The young girl nodded in response as she glanced towards her older brother, using the sleeve of her green utility jacket she wiped at her tear-filled eyes. Tyreese wrapped his arm his sister, rubbing her shoulder gently as he sniffled. "We don't have anyone else…everyone just leaves and never comes back" he revealed softly. "It's been like that ever since we were little…all we had was our daddy and now-" his voice began breaking from the emotion filling it's capacity. The young boy stopped talking as tears began to flow freely.

Rick looked on empathetically, the hurt these children were facing was a hurt he wouldn't wish on anyone. "Believe it or not…I know how you feel. I was around the same age as you, maybe a little older when I lost my mother. That broke me-I was so damaged, incomplete and just lost without her. I had a Dad still but his own grief consumed him so I dealt with it all alone until I met your big sister and she changed my life-after her I never really felt alone again. I'm saying all of this to say that it ain't going to be easy, it ain't going to just go away overnight but you both have people in your lives that love you and wish you well. You won't ever be alone again…I can promise you that" he smiled warmly as he looked between the brother and sister.

"Why are you telling us this?" Sasha questioned through a furrowed brow, her defiant stare causing a little sweat to roll down the back of his neck.

Rick smiled, "-because despite the circumstances just like Michonne, I'm your family too"

Tyreese smiled brightly as he looked over to his sister, Sasha whose stoic demeanor finally crumbled. A soft smile fell on her lips as she looked towards the man sitting in front of her, "Thank you…you're really nice, Rick" she responded lowly.

"Yeah", Tyreese chimed

"I appreciate that…I tend to only hear those types of compliments from my five-year old" he grinned

Tyreese's eyes lit up instantly, "You have a baby?" he questioned excitedly

"We'll he's not much of a baby anymore but yes-a son" Rick quipped proudly, "…actually give me one second" he continued as he rummaged in his pocket for his cell phone. Once found he pulled it out and pushed the home button, turning on the lock screen. "His name's Carl" he announced as he showed the two the image of the small child that occupied his phone and life.

"Awww" the young boy cooed as he admired the little boy. Due to his stature and agility, his father always urged Tyreese to become a football player but honestly, he wasn't interested in the danger or violence of the sport. He much rather work with kids-a teacher was a far more suitable dream for him.

Sasha's stomach rumbling cut the moment short, she immediately clutched it, a bit of embarrassment starting to set in.

"No worries…I'm a little hungry myself. Want to walk to the café with me to grab a bite to eat?" he questioned sweetly.

The young girl and boy nodded. Rick smiled warmly as he stood up, "Come on" he rasped as he reached out a hand for each child to take. They did, together they walked out of the waiting room towards the elevator to head down to the cafeteria.

Michonne could hear the beating of her heart through her chest, _**THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!**_ , it rang in her ears, growing louder as she pushed open the door. That roaring of her heart was a sound that would haunt her for the rest of her days…this feeling of dread and disquiet was something that she would carry in her spirit until she couldn't carry it anymore. She continued further into the room, tears immediately began to pool in her eyes as she took in her father's appearance: he was so frail and dark. His eyes and face sunken in as all of his body hair was gone. The man was hooked up to so many machine's and IV's trying to keep him alive that the fact that the inevitable could not be stopped became a second thought.

Shelia turned to face her daughter, "Oh baby…" she smiled out as she brought her daughter into a tight embrace. "I told him you were coming" she informed softly as she rubbed her back soothingly.

Michonne sniffled, "Hey Mommy" she responded as she relished in her mother's love, "Can he speak?" she questioned softly as they broke from the embrace.

"Barely but he can enough for you to make your peace…I don't want him leaving this world until you do because that burden is one too great for you to have to carry" her mother continued coolly as she brought her hand up to her daughter's face, "Speak-he's listening" she comforted as she rubbed her thumb across Michonne's cheek lovingly.

"Okay…" she responded as she gently nodded against her mother's palm.

"I'm going to leave you to it. If you need me…I will be on the other side of that door, alright?"

"Yes mommy" she rasped as she watched her mother drop her hand and smile warmly before exiting the quaint room.

Michonne sighed shakily as she stood at her estranged father's bedside, a mix of apathy, anger, pity and curiousness to what she should be feeling hit her over and over again like a Mack truck, taking every ounce of breath out of her body after each encounter. This was going to be so much more than what she had imagined it to be-this wasn't going to be a mere goodbye but her final chance to lay down at his feet all that had kept her bound since before she was 18-years old. This was her chance to give a voice to all of the emotions she had felt for this man…it was now or never.

She cleared her throat as she took a seat in the chair next to his bed, a small fluttering of his eyes lashes proved he was listening indeed. "H-Hi daddy…" she drew out as she bit down on her lip, it had been years since those words had escaped her lips. She exhaled, finding the strength to continue through her falling tears, "I knew that this wouldn't be easy…but what in life is?-" she chuckled shakily. "For years, I have allowed anger and indignation to take room in my heart where love and endearment should have thrived for you. I have allowed the utter sound of your name to leave a vile bitterness on my tongue-that should have been swallowed a long time ago. But the truth is you hurt me-you hurt me to my soul daddy…how you could walk out on not only mommy but me and Noah. It was one thing for you guys to divorce but you just left and acted as if it was okay-that it was okay to break us…okay to leave without an apology or any form of remorse. You acted as if I was more of a burden to you then your child-everything I did you ridiculed and tried to take from me. You tore me down in ways that no parent should do to their child…through mike's cheating…even through the miscarriage. You never picked up the phone, you never asked me If I was even okay. You just left me fending for myself when I needed my father-when I needed you and through all of this I still don't hate you. I still don't despise you…I still love you just as must as I did when I was child following behind your every step. I'm strong enough to come to terms with that now…I am strong enough to say that I forgive you and this forgiveness doesn't stem from the fact that you are my father or because you are dying but because of Rick. He has shown me what forgiveness is and how to truly stand in it-how to look at someone without tainted eyes, his will to forgive and to love despite has led me here, his good heart-finally rubbed off on me." she smiled as she rested her hand on the bed. "He taught me that hurting others only hurt's yourself in the long run-that anger truly is blind. He's a good man and I am marrying that good man" she beamed through those tears of peace.

A single tear rolled from Jarrod's eyes as he weakly placed his hand over his daughters, "I-I-I'm sorry M-Minca…" his voice breathless and horse as he fought to catch his breath, "y-you are right. I have been w-wrong. Please f-f-forgive me" he pleaded weakly as he opened his eyes just enough to look at his daughter.

Michonne exhaled, taking a minute to truly feel his apology, she smiled, "I do…" she responded

He smiled weakly, "T-thank you...t-tell R-Rick t-thank you for being a b-b-better man than m-me. I-I wish you b-b-both the b-b-best" he croaked out, the man extended his shaking arms, needing to hold his pride and joy one last time. Michonne stood up and climbed into his arms, accepting the gesture, " I l-love you f-forever a-and a-always" he rasped as he closed his eyes.

"I love you too, Daddy" she responded as she cried against the emaciated man's chest. The quietness of the room quickly replaced with the blaring of the flat lining heart monitor. She could hear nurses running towards the room and mayhem beginning to ensue outside of the door. None of those things mattered to Michonne, she remained-lying against him until the nurses and doctors filled up the room.

Michonne finally stumbled out of the room and right into her mother's waiting arms, Shelia bundled her daughter into her limbs as her long locs gently swept against the back of her calves. She began swaying back and forth as she attempted to sooth her distraught child, "I know Mook…I know…" she breathed out as she held her daughter even tighter. Shelia looked down the hall way, on the other end was her husband Morgan consoling a hysterical Noah as Rick hugged and soothed Sasha and Tyreese. She closed her eyes and smiled because despite this being a trying time-Shelia knew that her family would get through this as they had with all other obstacles that come their way. They'd been holding on all these years for a reason, that strength wasn't in vain because though it would take some time-as always this too shall pass.

Brilliant gold and orange hues bled like fire across the early morning's sky. Rick and Michonne sat in the cab of his pick-up truck, the silent beauty taking in the skyline's brilliance as her tear stained faced stared into the horizon. Rick rubbed his thumb over her soft, cool hand, wanting to respect her grief, he remained silent until she was ready to speak.

"Some birthday…huh?" she breathed out as she fluttered her eyelashes to rid the impending tears ready to pour.

Rick shrugged, "As long as I'm with you. It's alright" he drew out as he raised his hand and gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

Michonne chuckled dryly as she leaned into his touch, "Yeah…" she responded softly before turning to look towards him. "I meant to give this to you before but you know…" she shrugged out as she turned and reached into the backseat of the truck, grabbing her purse. She reached in and pulled out a medium sized black gift box with a red ribbon tied around it. "Here" she smiled sweetly as she handed him the box.

Rick took the box into his hands, a warm smile forming against his lips as he looked between the box and his fiancé. He untied the ribbon, removing the top of the gift box, revealing a slightly smaller box inside. He pushed open the top, revealing a gold Armani Exchange stainless steel chronograph watch with his and Michonne's named etched into the face of it. Rick smiled, "It's beautiful" he rasped as he looked towards his love. She always had a way to make his heart melt. Rick placed the box on the dashboard as he looked towards the woman who sat looking back at him with a small smile, Rick leaned over caressing her check again with his thumb before pulling her into a deep kiss. Michonne exhaled sharply against his lips as she indulged in him, she clutched at the curls at the nape of his neck as she deepened the lip embrace. As much as he needed her, she needed him just as much. Neither knew what the next day would provide but what they did know was that they were together and that they could get through this because they had one another and that was more than enough.

The winds of solace and sorrow whipped around them in a tormenting frenzy as they stood upon the grassy mound. Mumbles of the broken hearted accompanied the gale as she stood there stoically, she could feel his arms around her waist, his warmth of love, security and loyalty encompassing her like a blanket to the desolate. _**DRIP! DRIP! DRIP!**_ the sound of the raindrops bouncing off of the dark solid mahogany casket antagonized her, making a mockery of every hurtful word, vile look, and pointless anger that was shared between the two- all of those years of misery unknowingly leading them to a rapprochement at his door of death. Michonne could hear the crank rolling and rolling as it lowered her father into his home for the rest of eternity, he was taking his rightful place among the undead-for they may have left their earthly vessels but those souls-those beautiful, vibrant souls would live on forever…and that was the only contentment that could ever come out of death.

Michonne's childhood home was packed to its brim full of family, friends and more for the repass service. The smell of food, laughter and chatter echoed through the quaint home as everyone came together for the celebration of Jarrod's life. Rick smiled warmly as he packed another mound of food onto a few of Michonne's aunt's plates, the elderly women fluttered their eyelashes bashfully and smiled brightly in return as they thanked the handsome man for his kindness. Rick nodded in return as he strutted back into the direction of the kitchen, he placed the dish of mac & cheese back onto the table and looked towards the corner of the kitchen where she sat, gazing somberly out of the window.

Rick picked up a white ceramic plate and began piling several different varieties of foods onto it. He knew for certain that she had not eaten today. As soon as he finally got her to bed…it was time for them to get right back up and prepare for the funeral. Sleep was something that had been unknown to both of them since Jarrod passed last Sunday morning, he couldn't rest peacefully without knowing she was alright. She always said she was but deep down he knew that she wasn't. "Eat baby…" he nudged gently as he placed the plate, napkins and utensils down onto the table in front of her.

The sound of his sweet baritone pulled her out of her daze, she smiled warmly as she glanced towards him and then down to the plate of food in front of her. She was so out of sorts today that she didn't realize that she hadn't eaten since yesterday, she honestly had little to none of an appetite but knowing how Rick was and seeing the concern etched all over his face, she accepted his act of love. "Come eat with me…" she rasped as she scooted down the bench of the breakfast nook.

Rick smiled warmly in response as he took a seat next to his beloved, he leaned into her, leaving a soft kiss to her cheek as they began to indulge in their meal.

"That was a beautiful service Michonne..." Maggie complimented as she placed a comforting hand to her best friends back, "-you know if you need anything, me and Glenn are here for you" she reminded through a warm smile.

"Yeah-" Glenn quipped, "whatever you need...no matter the day or time. You pick up the phone and call us. You are more important than sleep and any difference in time zones" he smiled out as he leaned over and placed a soft peck on Michonne's forehead.

She smiled brightly at the duo, their unwavering love and support has been one of the many things that has kept her grounded for all of these years- they were always present. Maggie and Glenn could never imagine how much of a blessing they were to her life. "Thanks guys...you both and Rick have just been a breath of fresh air through all of this and everything. I'm so grateful for all that you have done for me" she smiled softly as she brought Glenn into a tight hug before she went over to a heavily pregnant Maggie and did the same, "The only thing you need to worry about is letting me know when my god baby gets here because her god mommy cannot wait to come to California to see her" she gushed.

Maggie giggled as she ran her hands over her protruding baby bump. "Only three more months to go and Noelle Mei will be here. This little girl has no clue the amazing Godmother and Godfather she's going to have" she grinned.

Michonne smiled brightly again, one of the constant and beautiful things about life was that when one chapter ends, another one is already being written. "You guys get to the hotel safely…let me know when you're in. Me and Rick will stop by in the morning before you guy's leave."

"Okay…we will…" they both assured her before pulling her into another embrace to say their goodbyes once more.

A warm smiled covered her lips as she watched her two best friends descend the staircase and walk down the pathway and out of the white picket fence that encased her family's home. A sense of peace falling over her as she ambled towards the white porch swing nestled in the corner of the porch and took a seat. Slowly she began to rock back and forth as she serenely took in the nightfall that was beginning to surround her, admiring its stillness. Michonne found comfort within that stillness, within that quietness. It wasn't just because she buried her father today but also for the liberation she felt. She was unrestricted from the internal turmoil and the emotions for him that had kept her bound for so many years, she was finally free...she could finally breath. Her Achilles heel was finally gone and she basked in that, she celebrated that victory.

The screen door opening and closing with a loud _**CLANK!**_ caused her eyes to drift towards it, a soft smile fell on her lips she watched her fiancé approach wearing a warm smile and carrying a red throw. Rick stopped in front of her, draping the covering across her back and shoulders. Michonne needing the warmth of him, leaned forward, resting her head on his torso as he stood there, running his fingers across her shoulders and upper back.

"I'm okay" she informed softly against his stomach before he could even ask the question.

He smiled, they were always so in-sync, "Yeah...I know" he responded as his hands traveling down her arms and back up, attempting to warm her slightly cool skin.

Intrigued Michonne looked up, a smirk falling against her lips as her chocolate brown eyes twinkled under the moon's colorful glow, "How?" she questioned as she brought her hands up and rested them in the back pockets of his dress slacks.

"Cause I'm okay, too" he rasped out as he looked down, catching her loving gaze.

She chuckled to herself before resting her head back against his warm body, this man was all that dreams and fairytales were made of and he was hers-all hers. That fact was still so surreal to Michonne.

"Can we go?" she questioned softly

"Go?...Go where?-you live here remember?" he bantered as he began fiddling with one of her locs.

She chuckled, "Stop your teasing- you know home is wherever you are so I want to go home with you-I can't stand to stay in this house any longer" she revealed

"Yeah I know baby. We can leave after the reading of the will." Michonne's head shot up instantaneously as she looked at Rick questionably.

"Hey now! Don't look at me like that babe. Your mother asked me to make sure you are in that study at 8:00pm and I think that she is right Michonne. You need to be there...I know you don't want anything from him but just go. I'll be here...cleaning and wrapping things up so that as soon as you walk down those stairs...we can go home." he responded softly.

"Is that the deal?" she questioned through soft eyes as they roamed over his face.

"Yeah...that's the deal" he drew out huskily as he wrapped his arms around her body.

Michonne huffed loudly before settling in an almost inaudible, "Okay". The two stayed in the embrace until the time came for the reading of the will.

Michonne fiddled with her thumbs nervously as she gazed around her father's study-the man was everywhere she looked. His presence still lingering like a shadow against candle light. The feel of Noah's hand covering hers seized her movement, she looked towards him and was met by a gentle smile and eyes full of love. She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as she relished in his sweetness, the unbreakable bond that they shared was always evident.

The sound of the door opening, prompted Michonne and her siblings to look towards it, Gabriel Stokes-their father's attorney and the executor to their father's affairs walked into the room wearing a warm smile.

"Good evening" he greeted as he closed the door behind him and walked towards the vacant seat at the desk.

"Hello Gabriel" Shelia responded with a sweet smile as she sat on the couch on the other side of the room with Sasha on her lap and Tyreese nestled into her side.

He smiled warmly as he looked towards the older siblings that sat in the two chairs directly across from the desk, "and you?"

"Good…" Noah responded for the both of him as he looked down at his older sister and back towards the man.

Gabriel nodded, "Good…" before opening his brief case and pulling out a folder that contained Jarrod Robinson's final will and testament. "Let not your hearts be troubled for Mr. Robinson is in a much better place-In my father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you" he spoke in a powerful yet soft tone as he smiled proudly. "I am not here to trouble you any more-I wish to provide you all with the peace and comforts this testimony shall provide…if there are not any questions-I shall begin" he looked around the room, there were no objections. The man smiled softly again before putting on his glasses and picking up the letter, he cleared his throat before beginning to read. " _I Jarrod Robinson residing at 5300 Peachtree Road #1607, Atlanta, Georgia of sound mind and heart declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me. I appoint Father Gabriel Stokes as my personal representative to administer this Will, and ask that he be permitted to serve without court supervision and without posting bond. If Father Gabriel Stokes is unwilling or unable to serve, then I appoint Shelia Renee Robinson-James to serve as my personal representative, and ask that she be permitted to serve without court supervision and without posting bond._

 _I direct my personal representative to pay out of my residuary estate and all of the expenses of my last illness, administration expenses, all legally enforceable creditor claims, all Federal estate taxes, state inheritance taxes, and all other governmental charges imposed by reason of my death without seeking reimbursement from or charging any person for any part of the taxes and charges paid. This includes all funeral expenses and cost of any marker for my grave, without necessity of a court order approving said expenses._

 _With that being said, I devise, bequeath and give to all of my children-my personal belongings valuing over $25 million dollars. It will be disputed among all of you evenly. To my two youngest children, Sasha and Tyreese Robinson, the apples of my eye. I leave to you a sum of 6.2 million dollars apiece. The bulk of this sum will be paid out to you at the age of 21 but the remainder sum will be paid out to you in monthly increments until you reach legal age. On top of this I grant full custody them to my sister Jacqui Robinson. The cost of living for the children has already been paid out. I love both of you with all of my being, be good for your Auntie and Uncle-they have more love for you then they could bare._

 _Next, I devise, bequeath and give to the love of my life-my one and only true love, Shelia Renee Robinson-James, my remaining two vocational properties located in Los Angeles, CA and Punta Cana, PR, totaling 3.5 million dollars. I also leave to you an additional 2.5 million dollars. May you do with it as you please, you deserve the world and more. I wish I could have given it to you. To my oldest son, Noah Xavier Robinson, I leave to you my penthouse located in downtown Atlanta, the residence I reside at until my demise, all of my custom vehicles and also a commercial garage, paid in full. This building is yours, it has your name on it to open up your own body shop. I believe that you will do one hell of a job son, I love you._

 _Last but not least I devise, bequeath and give to my eldest daughter, Michonne Naomi Robinson…my beautiful-beautiful minca. I leave to you my multi-million-dollar law firm with all of its assets, shares, employees, contracts and clientele. You are the sharing holder of this firm, it all belongs to you the only thing that I ask is that you ensure 12% is evenly disbursed between your siblings, everything else is yours. You are a powerhouse-you will take this world by storm but most importantly you are my baby. My first born and I am so proud of you and the woman that you have become-it's only you I could trust with my legacy. Love forever and always, your papa…Jarrod."_

Michonne sniffled softly as she wiped the impeding tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, she continued down the staircase, still trying to fathom all that had just taken place. She looked forward, there Rick stood waiting patiently for her at the bottom landing. Michonne's lips quivered uncontrollably as she ran the rest of the way down and leaped into his arms unexpectedly, she sobbed into the crook of his neck as he wrapped his strong arms around her body, bringing her as close as he could.

"Hey-Hey…what wrong my love?" he rasped out in almost a whisper as he began to rock her back and forth.

"-Can we go home now?" she responded shakily

Rick smiled to himself, "Yeah- that was the deal" he rasped as he lowered her to the ground, he wiped away some of the tears that lingered on her face before he took her hand into his own and led her out of the house towards their home. He had no clue what transpired in that room a few moments prior, deep down he had a feeling that Jarrod may have left Michonne with something that would put all of her hard work to great use-something that would change not only her lives but their lives forever. Sometimes the fruits of your labor finally becoming ripe can shake you to the core and it's not due to ungratefulness but because of the fact that GOD was still working, even when you remained still-and that alone was something to praise.

The way those lace lavender curtains blew in the summer breeze brought a reminiscent smile to Michonne's face, she remembered that day as if it was yesterday. The day that concreted her and Rick's love story, the day that confirmed that they were written for the stars. Michonne chuckled walking up to the window, she slid it down and closed the latch. She closed the curtains before turning and gazing around her old bedroom, taking it in one last time before she picked up the medium sized box and headed towards the door, she switched off the bedroom light before closing the door behind her and heading down the stairs and out of the house.

"That's everything?" he questioned through a squint as watched her approach, he took the box from her and placed it on the bed of the moving van.

"Yeah-that's the last of it" she responded back softly as she looked back towards her old home and then towards him.

He smiled warmly towards her, "Alright-go ahead and get in the truck. I just gotta lock up" he informed sweetly

"Okay" she responded before placing a quick kiss on his lips and heading towards the passenger side of the van. Rick smiled softly in return before reaching up and grabbing the black handle to the U-Haul truck and sliding down the door and latching it closed. He ensured it was locked securely before strutting up the drive way towards his grandmother's home. Rick opened the screen door to the now empty house, stepping over the threshold, he continued further into the home, starting at the kitchen-he went through every room to ensure it was empty. His final stop was his old bedroom, Rick walked into the room, a content sigh escaping him as he gazed around the familiar space. His mind immediately swarming with all of the memories he was leaving behind-so many first had taken place in that home-in that room. So many laughs, tears, love, and happiness had been shared here. It actually left him a little bittersweet. Rick stood with his hands on his hips, his eyes taking in the room one last time before his eyes landed on a picture stuck to an empty wall. Rick walked towards it, gently taking down the photo, a wild grin spread across his face as he took in him and Michonne at their senior prom. The two love birds smiling brightly as they gazed at one another from across the table, he remembered candidly Glenn sneaking the photo of them and giving him a copy of it afterwards. The look of love and happiness present in their eyes, in their smiles was so beautiful to relive again. The fact that- that love never left neither one of them warmed his heart something serious. Rick bit down on his lip-just the thought of Michonne left him giddy as if he was a 14-year-old boy all over again. This was it, this was their start at their lives together. It was a long time coming but everything they had gone through whether separate or together led up to this very moment-the moment he had been dreaming of since the first day he laid eyes on her-the moment they were able to BE as one. The act of being was worth all of the suffering and years lost. Rick quickly tucked the photo into the pocket of his blue button up shirt before switching off the light and closing the bedroom door behind him, he happily made his way back through the empty home and back over the threshold where he closed and locked the doors before placing the keys in his back pocket to drop off at the realtors on their way to their new home. Rick walked around to the driver's side of the van and got in, he chuckled softly at Michonne and Carl playing peek-a-boo before closing the door and turning the keys in the ignition. Michonne stopped and looked between a giggling Carl and a gleeful Rick and smiled brightly-her future was turning out to be a bright one indeed.

 _-SD_

 _A/N:_ Hiya my babies! I'm sorry this took me so long to get out, between pulling 10 hrs shifts a day and buying a house I was on E, but I'm back to wrap up GND. It's only one more chapter after this…I'm working on it as we speak so expect it soon. I'm still continuing EINTY as well, I hope to get Chapter 4 out before I go back to work on Weds. This chapter bounced around a bit because I had multiple storylines and plots to wrap up but it all came together beautifully in the end. I hope this answered any lingering questions regarding anything. If not, let me know and I can most def provide clarity where it is needed. I thank you all for the continued love and support shown to me and my stories. You are all gems and I appreciate, each and every one of you. I promise the wait won't be as long next time, see you guys very soon!

Hugs & Kisses 3- _ **SunflowerDope**_


	12. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:** ' _More than the Girl Next Door'_

" _I knew right away that you were it for me,_

 _there were no reservations or second thoughts,_

 _I saw you, and in an instant_

 _knew in my bones,_

 _my soul had known your soul lifetimes ago."_

- **Beau Taplin**

Rick inhaled deeply as he made the final loop, tightening the sage neck tie around his neck before smoothing down his collar and tucking the tie into the brown herringbone wool tweed vest worn. He looked into the mirror that sat atop of the mantle, a bright smile formed on his lips as he stared at the sunflower and baby breath's boutonnière pinned on the left side of his chest; the man was indeed elated and words couldn't possibly put into perspective the contentment he felt in his heart and soul. Even though for the most part- this day would bring its share of nervousness and disarray but the excitement, butterflies and pure satisfaction he felt, overpowered any of those things because the fact that some higher power felt the need to bless him with a second chance to do this all over again and for once and for all to get it right this time, was an act of grace. The fact that it was with Michonne, well that was a blessing within itself. That feeling of favor was pure euphoria for him.

"DADDY!" a 7-year-old Carl burst through the doors of the den, running straight towards his father, giggling up a furious storm as the little boy looked behind him humorously.

"Come back here you little rascal! Pa-Pa's gonna getcha'" Ritchie Sr. rasped out as he chased after his grandson, clutching the boy's dark brown suspenders and beige dress slacks in his hands.

Carl threw his arms around his father's leg tightly as he gazed at his grandfather, giggling hysterically to himself at the man's attempts to coerce him out of the corner.

"Hey Now!...What's going on here?" Rick rasped as he quickly looked between his joyous father and even happier son.

"Trying to get this child o' your's dressed, he rather run around buck naked instead of putting on his trousers and suspenders" the severely county man drew out cheekily. "You were the same way growing up...just wanted to walk around dick swing-"

"Dad!" Rick reprimanded the man's crassness with a head shake.

"Oh shoot! Ain't nothin' he hasn't heard before" he chuckled out as he waived a dismissive hand towards his son before turning his attention back towards his grand baby.

Rick rolled his eyes before looking down at his son, "Carl, you know better than to run away from pop-pop you know he's an old man now...can't keep up like he use to" he teased

Ritchie Sr. whipped his head towards his son, "You little shit...I could run circles round ya'...wanna taste of this?" he bantered back as he cocked his head to the side. The man's chocolate brown and beige fedora sitting proudly on his head full of grey hair-the man's shoulder length curls telling a story of where the man had been, done and where he was going.

Rick snickered, shaking his head at his father's curtness, "I think we're good" he drew out as he bent down and scooped Carl into his arms. The barn door to the den sliding open prompted all of the Grimes men to look towards it. Rick's best man Glenn appeared bearing a bright smile as he approached wearing a pair of black denim cigarette jeans, a sage long sleeve dress shirt-that was cuffed at his forearm, a dark brown tie, shoes and matching vest to match; his jet black hair slicked back handsomely as he carried his 8-month old son, Hershel Jr. proudly in his arms-the infant a splitting image of his father, as he stopped in front of the men.

"Just wanted to check in, Hershel Sr. said it's almost time to start-about ten minutes to be exact" he smiled out as he looked proudly at his best friend.

Rick let out a bated breath as he nodded his head in response. "Alright...it's time to get this show on the road" he drew out as butterflies instantly swarmed in his belly, today was the day. He was about to marry the love of his life and it still felt so unreal.

"Indeed son-" Ritchie Sr. rasped out as he placed a supportive hand to his son's shoulder. Words couldn't possibly define just how proud of his son he was, he had watched him and Michonne's love story unfold since they were 14 years old... despite all of their trials and tribulations, their love still prevailed, they still allowed love to bring them back together and here they were. "Come on her scoot...we gotsa' get you dressed. You are the ring bearer after all", the elder man announced as he quickly scooped his grandson into his arms to finish getting him ready. He blew raspberries against the Carl's cheek, causing the boy to erupt into laughter as they headed across the room towards the door. Before departing, Ritchie Sr. turned to look back at his son, "Your mama would be so proud of you..."

Rick beamed, his heart warming at the sentiment, "I think she would too" he agreed through a bright smile.

He nodded, "Knock em' dead kid", Ritchie Sr. smiled out as he proceeded to slid open the door and exit the room.

Rick turned back towards the mirror, giving himself another once over before running his hands through his slicked back curls. Once in place he turned towards Glenn, who was happily bouncing his son in his arms. "It's time..." he drew out with a warm smile as the two best friends made their way out of the den towards the ceremony space out back.

She bit down on her lip happily as she ran her fingers gently down the bodice of her dress. This was it...today was the day she finally was able to become Mrs. Michonne Grimes, her name next to his never sounded better and she basked in that joy-she rejoiced in the fact that the man she loved since she was 14 was going to make her his wife, that he loved her so that he waited 17 years to do so. Their love had literally conquered all and that fact-that truth made it all so worth it.

A soft rap at their bedroom door pulled her from her lull, "Come in" she responded softly as she turned to face the opening door. Slowly, Shelia opened the door, a soft gasp escaping her as she gazed at her daughter. Tears quickly filling her eyes as she placed her hands over her heart, "Mook...you look so beautiful" she gushed out as she rushed up to her child, cradling her in her arms.

Michonne smiled, tears beginning to form in her own eyes as she allowed her mother's love to engulf her, who she would be without this woman was a question she never wanted answered because her mother was god sent and she cherished the ground the woman walked on. "Thank you, mommy," she beamed as they parted from the embrace.

"Oh lord, don't mess up your pretty makeup now", Shelia giggled out as she quickly grabbed a Kleenex to wipe away the pool of tears in Michonne's eyes. "I didn't mean to make you cry baby. Just seeing you took my breath away", she continued as she finished up.

"You know how I get when I see you cry. The floodgates open up immediately" she chuckled out. "You look beautiful as well Mommy" she gushed out as she took in the floor length lace-brown chiffon dress her mother wore. Her mother's ankle length locs bundled into a beautiful curly pin up with a sunflower hair piece nestled at her temple, gold pumps, chandelier earrings and a clutch completed the look. A sunflower and baby's breath corsage sitting proudly on her wrist.

Shelia smiled brightly, "Thank you shug, I appreciate the sentiment but today is your day and you deserve all of the love and praise", she gushed out as she ran her thumb across her daughter's cheek. Michonne beamed at the gesture, gently placing her forehead against her mother's; something they had done since Michonne was an infant. As they basked in a love that could only be shared between a mother and a daughter.

"Godmommy?" a small voice suddenly filled the room.

Michonne parted from the embrace as she turned to see her and Rick's goddaughter, Noelle, standing in front of them. Michonne walked up to her running her fingers through her long jet-black hair. "Yes, my love?" she questioned as she crouched down in front of the child.

Noelle smiled, "Mommy said it's time. Her and Sasha are done getting ready" she informed sweetly. "You look so pretty Godmommy!" she exclaimed cheerfully as she clutched the basket full of petals in her hands.

Michonne giggled, words couldn't describe how adorable this little girl was. "Thank you, my glitter baby, you look absolutely gorgeous as well...simply magical" she beamed as she placed a soft kiss onto the small child's cheek. The little girl giggled in response as Michonne wiped away the lipstick print left behind. She stood up slowly, "It's time..." she breathed out softly as she gazed happily back at her mother.

After parting from Glenn, Rick made is way down the white brick corridor, his eyes scanning over the array of family photos encased in gold picture frames that adorned the walls. He smiled in contentment as he headed towards the white French double doors. He pushed them open gently, revealing his tribe of friends and family that sat patiently in the gold chameleon chairs waiting for the wedding to start. Rick slowly made his way down the back staircase, an abundance of sunflower bouquets inside of tall gold vases sat on either side of the wide staircase. He continued his journey down the aisle, walking atop of the white runner, he took in the bundles of sunflower and baby's breath bouquets wrapped in lace & chiffon bows that were pinned to the side of the inner and outer chairs. Rick smiled brightly at the guest, taking an extra minute or two, to kiss the cheeks of his grandmother, Michonne's grandmother and also aunt's. He ensured to dap up her uncles and cousins on his trek down the aisle as well. Briefly his ex-wife Lori caught his eye, he politely greeted her, Shane and their 3-month old daughter, Delilah, with a head nod as he continued on.

Finally, he made his way to the wooden wedding arch where Hershel stood smiling proudly at him, the pillars of the arch were covered by long lace and chiffon that cascaded from the top of it, an abundance of sunflowers and baby breaths sat at each corner. He placed a grateful hand on Hershel's shoulder before turning and taking his place back under the arch, his hands crossed in front of him as he waited for his Mrs. to make her entrance.

A gentle melody of "If This World Were Mine" by Luther Vandross began to play, those same butterflies from earlier found their way back into his stomach. As soon as Luther began to sing, those white doors opened instinctively, the first to appear was Noah walking his and Michonne's mother, Shelia down the aisle, he guided her to her seat before taking his place next to Rick as a groomsmen. Rick quickly jogged over, placing a kiss on his soon to be mother in law's cheek before jogging back over to his place. Next his groomsmen Daryl appeared, walking bridesmaid Andrea down the aisle, the duo quickly taking their places as well, Sasha and Tyreese right behind-the now teenagers beaming as they took their places as groomsmen and bridesmaid. Glenn and Maggie smiled brightly as they swayed back and fourth down the aisle, the two never missing a beat as they took their place as man and maid of honor. Rick took a minute to appreciate how beautiful everyone looked, his groomsmen wore matching outfits to Glenn's as the bridesmaids all wore off the shoulder light sage chiffon long dresses with splits up the front, they all carried bouquets of baby breaths, bound together with gold silk and a single sunflower tucked inside.

Roars of ooh's and awe's swept over the quaint ceremony space, as the crowd basked in the utter cuteness in front of them. Rick couldn't contain himself as he smiled brightly at his son, walking down the aisle smiling giddily as he held the pillow carrying the rings. The seven-year-old looked as handsome as his father in his beige dress pants, brown suspenders, sage dress shirt-that was rolled at the forearms and a brown fedora-matching his grandfather's. Carl excitedly ran the rest of the way, the crowd laughing as the young boy nestled against his father's leg. Rick bent forward, wrapping his arms around his son as he pulled him into a tight hug before leaving a soft kiss on the boy's forehead. The crowd cooed at the display of father and son cuteness, even Ritchie Sr. had a flutter of the heart. Rick quietly instructed his son where to stand next to his godfathers before standing straight and turning back towards the stairs. He looked forward, seeing his and Michonne's almost five-year-old goddaughter Noelle Mei, approaching. She was such a beautiful flower girl as she wore a sage calf length dress with a sunflower pinned to the side of her long hair. Glenn fought back tears as he watched his daughter drop the sunflower petals on the ground, ensuring accurate coverage across the runner, once at the altar she excitedly hugged her godfather before taking her place next to her mother as she looked on at him in admiration.

A change in the melody queued for the next verse, Cheryl Lynn's melodic voice began to fill the air as

Rick stared at those doors, the time had finally arrived. He placed his hands behind his back as he stood patiently waiting for her arrival, the guest stood to their feet all looking towards the doors that began to re-open, slowly she appeared wearing a white satin trumpet gown with a deep v cut neckline, the form fitting dress hugged her like a glove as her long flowing train followed. Her locs in a sea of curls that framed her face beautifully as a sunflower crown adorned her head. Her bouquet filled to its brim with sunflowers, bound by gold strand. She was absolutely radiant, her skin glistening as if it was made of the finest honey and brown sugar. Michonne smiled brightly, her eyes locked on her soon to be husband as she marched down the aisle with her step father Morgan leading the way.

Rick looked on in awe at the scene unfolding in front of him, thanking God to himself for being able to witness this miracle of a woman, seeing her so radiant... so gorgeous as she smiled towards him filled his heart with an indescribable joy. Thoughts of their first glance almost 17 years ago occupied his mind, he thought she was an angel that appeared to him in the midst of his brokenness, in the middle of his dark despair. She came into his life in one of the most beautiful yet chaotic ways imaginable. The way he handled her at their first meeting was something he would always regret, he quickly down casted his eyes, a heavy feeling of remorse coming over him before quickly looking back up towards her, her smile quickly melting that remorse away. She looked at him as if he was the only man in the world, the look of love exuding from her as she moved closer towards him. His mind quickly went back to the night that he knew he was falling in love with Michonne, that night at their senior prom when they danced under the stars. He would never forget the sweet smell of her breath, the softness of her skin, the look of forever in her eyes. She was his everything then and now and the fact that she was about to become his wife was unfathomable. Rick smiled as she inched closer and closer to him, her eyes never leaving him, he smiled and caught her gaze, that look of happiness prompted so many other sweet memories to come flooding back, Rick's face flushed thinking of their first kiss, the first time they made love, the way he took her face into his palms and told her he loved her, when they first met. All of those moments led up to this grand moment, they were stepping stones for this day, for the day he was able to submit himself to her forever. Rick locked eyes with the woman standing before him, she turned and gave Morgan a gentle kiss on the cheek as Rick walked up to them, he pulled the man into a tight embrace- assuring him he would give his daughter the world and more before reaching out his hand towards her and leading her to their marital altar. Maggie stepped forward taking her large bouquet from her as Michonne mouthed a sweet thank you to her best friend before the woman stepped back in place. Rick let out a boyish grin as he gazed lovingly at the beauty in front of him, "Hey you", he drew out trying to fight back tears. She beamed, "Hey to you too" she responded back as a soft giggle escaped her, softly she took his hands into her own; the love birds gazing cheekily at one another as they waited for Hershel to begin.

"You may now take your seats" the southern man drew out, his silver ponytail brushing against the jacket of his brown tweed suit as he nodded towards the guest.

Once seated, the ordained minister cleared his throat, "We are gathered here today, to celebrate a union-this union." He rasped out as he gestured between Rick and Michonne before continuing, "A union created in the name of love, one only bound by GOD in holy matrimony. Not to be entered into lightly, holy matrimony should be entered into solemnly and with reverence and honor. Into this holy agreement these two will come together to be joined. If any person here can show cause why these two people should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace." he rasped out as a scanned over the crowd, no objections. Hershel smiled warmly at the sweethearts as he continued. "Marriage is a sacred union between husband and wife and shall remain unbroken. It is the basis of a stable and loving relationship and is a joining of two hearts, bodies and souls. The husband and wife are there to support one another and provide love and care in times of joy and times of adversity. We are all here today to witness the joining in wedded bliss of Rick and Michonne. This joyous day celebrates the commitment and love between you, may today start your lives together. Through God, you are joined together in the most holy of bonds. Who gives this woman in holy matrimony to this man?"

"I do" Morgan drew out as he stood up, a proud smile on his face as he locked eyes with his step daughter and son in law.

Hershel nodded towards Morgan; signaling for the man to take his seat before looking back towards the happy couple. "We may now hear the exchanging of vows, written by Rick and Michonne." He informed sweetly as he closed the brown leather notebook he was holding.

Rick smiled, looking deeply into Michonne's eyes as he deepened their handhold. He let out a bated breath before beginning, "Words cannot put into prospective how much I love you but I'm going to try" he rasped out as he ran his thumb across her wrist tenderly. Michonne's bright smile prompted him to continue. "I adore everything about you-whether it's the way your sweet smell of lavender and cocoa butter lingers when you leave the room, the way you stare at me as if you could see right through to my soul…down to the very depths of me. You're dorkish giggle", he beamed out proudly as she giggled in response, "Your beautiful brown eyes- I've awoken and fallen asleep within so many times. The beautiful shape of your nose, your soft lips, the way your locs sweep across your back gently when you walk. You're beautiful and intricate mind, how hearing you talk just stops my world, how we lay in bed for hours rambling about nothing or you telling me one of your many stories all of this...all of these thangs are all part of the list...the list of reasons why I love you and have loved you since I was 14 years old. You are more than my best friend...more than the girl next door-you are my soulmate, you are a part of me and will always be forever. I worship the ground that you walk on Michonne, you are my queen and forever you will be". he rasped out as his voice broke from emotion, tears finally escaping.

Michonne chuckled, her own tears pouring as she gently wiped away his. She exhaled softly as she gazed at her man. "You got me-I was not expecting all of that Reese", she gushed out. She was met with laughter and sniffles from their friends and family. Michonne beamed as she continued to lock eyes with Rick, "I carry you in my spirit, my soul leaps in bounds whenever you are near me. Wherever you go, I go. I've prayed for you more then I pray for myself. You are my vision in the darkness, you have brought me to the light time and time again. You are like my second skin and I love all of you from the tippy top of your curly brown hair down to those bow-legs and pigeoned toes. I love waking up to the scruff of your beard against my face every morning or the way that you cling to me as we sleep. How your voice sets my very being ablaze. You bring out the best parts of me. You are a love song that I want to sing over and over again. You are the best part of my day, the best part of my life. The fact you trust me not only with your heart but with your own flesh and bloods, means everything to me because I love him just as much as I love you. I now know that my grandest accomplishment in life has been falling in love with you and Carl. You have taught me how to love- how to receive it and I will give you mine for the rest of my days and beyond. There will never be a Michonne without Rick. You're stuck with me forever, kid" she giggled as tears continued to pour. Rick chuckled as well, wiping her tears away with his thumbs as he palmed her face in between his hands.

Hershel smiled looking between Rick and Michonne and his own crying daughter and son in law. "We will now have the exchanging of rings" Hershel announced as he gathered the rings from Carl. The young boy still bouncing in elation. Hershel cleared his throat, "The wedding ring is an unbroken symbol of the everlasting love and commitment between man and wife", he continued as he hands one ring to Michonne and then to Rick, "Repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed"

"With this ring, I thee wed" Rick smiled out as he slid the silver band on Michonne's ring finger.

She beamed, "With this ring, I thee wed" she repeated happily as she slid the silver band on Rick's ring finger.

"What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. With the power vested in me by God and the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride" Hershel smiled as he clasped his hands together proudly.

A huge grin fell on Rick's lips as his hand instinctively drifted from her hand down to her lower back as he pulled her into him. Rick inhaled her sweet essence as he raised his right hand and rested it on her cheek. Gently placing his lips onto hers, passionately their mouths and breaths mingled. Michonne hungrily clawed at the hair located at the nape of neck as she melted into him; their love outpouring as they celebrated being one. Their friends and families cheered on happily as the husband and wife parted from the kiss, still beaming amongst themselves.

Quickly Shelia picked up the straw broom that laid next to her chair- the broom beautifully decorated with sunflowers, gold strand and pieces of lace. She walked towards her son in law and daughter, bending forward, she placed the broom at their feet before returning to her seat.

Michonne beamed as she looked towards her husband, "You ready?"

Rick chuckled, a bright smile on his face as he gazed back towards his wife, "You already know I am" he drew out cheekily as they clutched hands and jumped over the broom; right into marital bliss.

The reception in the barn was soon underway, the tall wooden beams were wrapped in fairy lights as two huge chandeliers and drapery hung from the high ceiling. The gold ceremony chairs sat in front of the long lace covered rectangle tables, that were arranged in a U- shape around the bridal table. Tall golden vases filled with sunflowers adorned the tables, smaller vases filled with baby breaths and floating candles in mason jars accompanied the décor. The reception was just as breathtaking as the ceremony as their family and friends chowed down on an assortment of barbeque and spiked lemonade (for those old enough to indulge), as the children jumped, ran and danced away to the dj's tunes.

Michonne bit down on her lip, taking in every aspect of her beautiful husband. Marriage looked damn good on him and she couldn't contain her ever growing thirst for her man. She licked her lips, leaning into him, her mouth so close to his ear that he could almost taste the sweetness of her breath on his tongue. "You remember how you said you wanted a house full of babies? she questioned seductively.

Rick glanced towards her, his brow raised as a devilish smirk covered his face, "Yeah" he drew out as he licked his lips, leaning into his wife.

"Maybe we should go get started on that" she drew out huskily as she reached for his hand, taking it into her own, she slowly guided it under her dress and between her thighs, giving her man a first-hand feel of her au natural heat.

Rick's eyes instantly snapped up to hers, he nodded enthusiastically as he stared lustfully at her. "Oh yeah… we should" he rasped out with a wild grin as he nearly jumped out of his seat. He quickly grabbed his giggling wife by the hand and whisked her off into their home.

"Glenn…have you seen Jr's binky?" Maggie questioned her husband as she rocked their 8-month-old son in her arms. "He can barely keep his eyes open but he won't sleep without it" she drew out has she shooed the whiny infant.

"Damnit, I knew I was forgetting something. Sorry babe" he apologized sweetly before continuing, "Give him to me…I'll get it and lay him down for a nap."

"It's quite alright honey and thank you" she smiled out as she placed their son in his arms.

"Anything for you" he assured as he leaned over and placed a soft kiss onto his wife's lips before standing up and heading towards the house.

"Alright buddy…where did daddy put your binky?" Glenn lowly said to the infant as he walked into him and Maggie's guest bedroom. He scanned over his surroundings, trying to recall the last place his son had it. He swiftly walked around the bed, moving the comforter back as the black and white pacifier fell to the ground. "There you are", he smiled as he quickly picked it up. His son's eyes lighting up as soon as he saw it. "Not just yet slugger, daddy needs to clean it off first", he cooed out to the now pouting infant as he laid him across the bed. Glenn quickly walked towards the in-suite bathroom, swinging the door open as he began to walk inside. As soon as he did he was met with Rick's pants around his knees and bare ass hanging out as Michonne's dress was hiked around her waist, her legs wrapped tightly around Rick's abdomen as he stroked savagely inside of her. The door opening halted his movements, they looked back horrified to see Glenn standing there frozen in shock. The shock wore off quickly as he spun around instantly, "Sorry…I saw nothing" he fumbled out as he quickly ran out of the bathroom and closed the door. He quickly picked up his on, "Looks like you're going to have a playmate really soon kiddo" he smiled out brightly as he kissed his son's forehead and exited the bedroom, in search of an unoccupied bathroom.

Rick and Michonne chuckled loudly at what just transpired. She ran her hands down her face as she shook her head humorously, her red lipstick now smudged over her mouth, "Oh my god…Glenn is going to be scared for life"

"He will be but we ain't worrying about that right now" he rasped out huskily as he stroked longly inside of his wife's tight wet pussy;it was always home between her thighs. Michonne moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck as she groaned against his ear hungrily. Only magic could be created so raw, so pure, so unadulterated and they continued to bask in that magic for as long as they could.

8 months later…

Rick quietly crept inside of the room that his wife currently occupied, he shook his head as he watched her attempt to stand on her tippy toes. Her current situation not proving to be successful. "And what do you think you're doing?" he questioned as he made his presence known.

Michonne huffed, throwing her head back in annoyance. She thought she was stealth enough to not get caught, apparently, she was wrong. "Don't be mad at me, okay?" she pouted out as she looked back at her husband. "I was trying to fix the J…it's unevenness is driving me insane"

"You know that I'm not mad at you baby. You could have just asked me to do it…you know that you are on bed rest and don't need any strenuous activity right now" he reprimanded her as he walked up behind her, placing his hand on her heavily pregnant stomach as he leaned into her.

"I know but they'll be here really soon and I'm just so antsy" she revealed as she melted into his embrace.

"You're right...nesting has you on edge and I completely understand that but at this point your health and our babies health is the most important thang right now" he reminded as he left a gentle kiss to her temple.

"Your right papa" she huffed out as she gazed around the grey, white and gold nursery. ''

"Let's sit you down first, I'll get it fixed" he assured as he slowly turned her to face him.

"Okay" she beamed as she nodded her head in agreeance. The messy bun sitting on top of her head, bouncing up and down with every movement.

Rick smiled, God how cute was this woman. He placed his hand on her lower back as he carefully guided her across the room to the gold rocking chair that was nestled in the corner by the window. Rick cautiously helped her into the chair before a scene outside of the window, caught his attention.

"Who's the little girl Carl's outside with?" he questioned through a curious brow

"Oh-that's the little girl from next door. I think her name's Enid" she responded as she continued to get comfortable in the rocking chair, once content, she slowly ran her hand over her stomach.

Rick chuckled to himself, thinking about the one moment all of those years ago that altered his life, that changed fate's outcome, that day was destiny in its purest form- the day that he met his soulmate. His son may be a little too young for romantics now but who knows how his story could possibly unfold with the girl next door one day. All Rick could do was hope that Carl's would be just as beautiful as his and Michonne's. On that note he gazed lovingly down at his wife, placing a gentle kiss to her lips before crossing the room to put the finishing touches on their twins, Andre and Judith's nursery.

Only heaven knows how beautiful life can be when we just allow things to come full circle.

 _ **End**_


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